Voices In Ones Head
by Schizophrenic Eggplant
Summary: This is my first update in a year! Woohoo! Go me! :D
1. Prologue: In the Very Beginning

**DISCLAIMER:**  Because this prologue thingy doesn't mention DBZ at all, I don't think I need to do the disclaimer.  However if mean looking guys in suits come knocking (then kicking) at my door, I guess I'll do it just in case.  I don't own DB/Z/GT… although I really want to but that's another story!  Onwards, fair reader…….

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**VOICES** (In One's Head)  By `InSaNe`/Schizophrenic Eggplant.

Prologue 

_Today marks an occasion in the history of my life which is of great significance.  A new me has been born, a phoenix has risen out of the ashes of the flames of a love that once burned brightly until it's supply of energy ran out and died, leaving me a weak fragile husk, wrought of all emotion.  My ideals had been stolen and moulded to fit someone else until I could no longer recognise them as mine any more; I was exhausted, used, and in no fit mental state to do anything but sleep, and dream.  What sparked this new lease of life was the day I saw IT.  _

_The messages were blurred at first, because of my dulled thoughts at the time, it had made no sense.  I didn't understand.  But I had to know more, I was hungry and impatient to soak up this information, so I paid attention, and the messages got stronger.  Something inside me began to stir, a new strength, at that time a small spark in amongst a defeated psyche, a tinge of rebellion inside a place that had been forced to conform outside it's own will, and over time it grew and expanded into something that could not be ignored.  So I flew the coop I had been imprisoned in for the last four years and shifted back somewhere I could re-discover myself again, without too many outside influences trying to change me.  I would sleep and wake up to be greeted by this two-dimensional vivid world before me, and sneak a look into the everyday lives of its inhabitants.  Slowly I began developing my own branch of interests in this world - of a particular race, and a certain individual.  And now I cannot, nor wish to, lead a 'normal' life, for I am anything but normal.  Especially now._

_From this point on, I impart to you, the reader, my adventures in the universe inside my head, which, in the next paragraph or six, describes how I discover it.  On this – today, when nothing would ever be the same._

_Darkness.  I'm in my room, the curtains drawn to block out the glare of the streetlights.  Outside, a full moon keeps it's vigil through a semi cloudy sky above the surface of this mudball I have come to despise.  Two hours before, I had looked upon it's silver-white crater pocked surface, while red-hot anger and determination built inside me, bursting to erupt, although I maintained control it won't be long until something snaps, I must act fast.  Tonight is the time.  Time to change, to break free of the mundane routine of the real world.  My parents have left the house for the weekend, so I will not be disturbed by their inane nattering and interruptions.   I have been preparing the whole day, preparing for what is to come.  My overactive imagination has become discontent from the lack of stimulus other than visual and aural, a universe needs more,  I must experience touch, smell, taste, full immersion... I need to push things further, to form my own reality, free of the burdens and rules and restrictions, physical and mental, that come with the package ignorantly branded "REAL LIFE".    _

_Since I arose out of bed, I have spent my day expanding my mind into it's more further uncharted reaches, the trance music playlist set to loop on my computer softening the harder outer surface, making it more malleable, so I can push on through.   The music is now switched off, and a heady aroma of incense permeates my small room.  I lean back on the soft cushions, assuming a comfortable position, for I plan to stay this way for a long time.   I close my eyes, focus on my breathing, and begin to visualise.  _

_I concentrate on creating the form which has been in my head for the past few months, nurtured by the information my brain has voraciously consumed all this while.  This information contributes to work as a template, outlining her form, her mannerisms, her strengths, her weak... - not-so-strengths.  She rotates around in front of me, a flawless warrior, but imperfections will soon shine through with time.   I am in awe of her as I hold out an astral hand to place her semi-transparent form upon it.   She is a worthy specimen indeed.   Bracing myself for what is to follow, I allow myself to think back on those explosive feelings I had when I had looked at the full moon.  The homicidal urges, the inexplicable blinding fierce rage, mercilessness, all-consuming anger, an ego too big for this galaxy to handle; she will share my inner fire, along with  a pride I could never feel outside of myself.. one which if insulted, the insultee would not be so offensive in the future, if at all.  I scrape it all together, shielding myself with meditative calm, lest the raw power breaks through and distracts me from my task.   With my remaining hand I manipulate the power into a ball, compressing it gently, handling it like some volatile substance.  Parts of it are as thick as treacle, stubborn.. other parts are sharp to the touch.. I mould it carefully.  To hasten would result in a mind wracked with pain and entrapment, and barely enough control to hold me back from what all this energy stands for.   Once content that it can hover in an area the size of my palm, I wave my hand around it three times over the top, three underneath, three on both left and right sides, then randomly around the circumference, mentally chanting the words:  _

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**_Sleep, great essence -  sleep, in this blanket of neutrality... _**

**_Slumber 'til the time is right, when you meet your new reality.._**

_As I chant, a blanket acting like a wax on a cheese envelops the energy, absorbing the power of the compressed ball in a black neutral crust.   Once it is completely covered, layer upon layer, I dissipate the shield, and once again, all is calm.   With the balance of body and character complete in left and right palms respectively, I now embark on the ultimate hunt.  For a soul, a spirit, but not just any will suffice.  I pursue the ethereal substance of One who is greater than any god, for the fact it does not have to be believed in or prayed to or have sacrifices made in Its name (It doesn't even HAVE a name (yet)) to exist.  It has lived forever and never.  Lives everywhere and nowhere, and from what I notice, It is choosing nowhere as its preferred place for the time being.  One who is not prejudiced against any race or any species, whatever It destroys it destroys randomly, by instinct.  It is a completely neutral entity, neither good or evil, right or wrong, black or white.  It knows no restrictions, it does not set limits for itself.  It is above time, above space, above logic.  It is a dreamer, and in its seemingly eternal slumber, any galaxy or sector of the universe which is destroyed or created, stems from those dreams.  All codes and sequences of life are stored within this wondrous being, all updates of evolutions, new species and mutations are kept in a databank within ItSelf.  It does not exist in the universe related to this plane, but inside the universe in my head, or to be more specific, the infinite darkness behind my eyelids, where my dreams and visions come to life.  In an intense state of concentrative relaxation, I wander deeper into the unfathomable reaches of my mind.. holding the keys which will unlock the rusty doors and fling them wide; where I will encounter the One who I will infuse with those keys, my creations..  However long it takes, I will find who I'm looking for.. I must not stop... I must not lose myself in all this blackness, for the doors are still shut and there are no stars.  I keep my eyes peeled for any change in the blackscape, any small alteration or warp or shimmer could mean a discovery for me.  I call out to It.   _

I beseech thee, it is I, the old one!!  I  have returned, old no longer.  Refreshed, energised, invigorated, I seek you; a useful soldier am I now_!_

_I broadcast my message throughout, hoping the mindwaves reach far enough to alert the One I am searching for.  I sense a change in the atmosphere, like one is listening, but not quite convinced and needs more information.  I am a little saddened as because I have been out of touch with myself for so long, I do not receive a vibe of recognition, which would be, I'm guessing, like when an old friend who you knew a long time ago still remembers who you are – a feeling of significance that you were still in that persons thoughts after all this time.  One good thing though, is  I have got Its attention, but it is a very weak feeling, just a hint, no telepathic messages, or images.  Regardless, I continue my announcement. _

I bring knowledge, One, and maybe an adventure.  Hasn't it been a while?  I wish you would remember me, but aren't you curious as to who I am?  You may recognise me, you may not.  My visit to you will be no waste, from this you can be assured.  Prepare thyself if you will, for such escapades are likened to none other experienced in your endless loop of life, and those to come from others such as I.  Hear me!!!!   Acknowledge me!!!  Stop playing games, I know you're there!!!  Show me a sign you lazy piece of shit!

_A huge bright exclamation-mark shape looms out at me from nowhere and almost seems to knock me over, like a bus that rushes out from the corner of a TV screen while someone who has carefully looked both ways twice steps out off the curb, and claims their life in a split second without braking.  But this exclamation-bus did stop, suddenly, in my face.  The scene also reminds me of  surreal flashback of children's television programs from two decades ago.  The shape looks solid, white in contrast to the black (still starless) background, but looked at it in a different way, it was a gap in the darkness, a space of vast white that I could walk through.  I could hear a stirring, a noise amongst the silence of that shape/void.  A breeze froze the stubble on my scalp, invaded my ears and formed into whispers._

'Enter, If you dare.'_  It challenged.  I dare, entering into a white infinite expanse.  The stars are black. _


	2. PART ONE: THE PRESENT AND THE DEEP PAST...

**DISCLAIMER:   **If my Vegeta action figures could REALLY shoot blasts out of their hands and talk nasty,  I could possibly get away with saying I own DB/Z/GT and everything it stands for.  But they don't, so I can't say that.  And also if they could do all that stuff like bend and break things and power up for real… somehow I don't think I'd be sitting here typing this. ~_^

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**Voices **(In One's Head by `InSaNe`/Schizophrenic Eggplant

Part 1:  The Present and the Deep Past  -  Chapter 1:  The Creation. 

I enter the vast training room and switch on the lights.  I am met by miles and miles of spotless red and white tiles.  I clap my hands with delight, yes... this is what it was all about.  I barely contain my excitement, and my eagerness to get started.  I cannot believe they had done such a brilliant job, my hired help.  An unfamiliar knot twists my gut slightly.  I mentally reprimand myself.  Regret? Oh geez don't get soft now!!  Yes, they served their purpose and then they died by un-natural causes, although from what I hear I'm now classed as a natural disaster.  Oh come on..! No time for regret!  I bet they were thankful I had spared them for as long as I did, the time I was away gave them time for them to spawn a few generations of scum on my planet while they were under employment in my 300 year absence.  On my return I was glad to see the tasks I had set them to for the rest of their pathetic existences were completed.  I gave them free run of my planet for however long my travels were going to take me, in return for transforming half of it into the ideal training ground.  300 years was an adequate period I had estimated.  

My planet doesn't have separate islands and such.. they could work their ways around the small lakes that pitted the arid desert which wasn't much to look at anyway.  Now everything is self contained, I alone can control the environment, I alone will be the sole-user of the chamber, I don't tend to entertain guests, and most "guests" at any rate could never survive the conditions I would eventually set this masterpiece created by an ingenious (and now extinct) race of workers.  The other half of my planet includes my living quarters, also built by the industrious PEACEful (weak) race, and takes up a further 8th of the planet.  the rest, taken up by forest, desert, craters and a couple of mountains only twice the height of my new training quarters.  Untouched land, where I could meditate amongst, or destroy its fragile beauty.  Why?  Because I can.   But enough of dwelling in the past, there is training to do, and a lot of it.  I'm going to become stronger than anything I had ever dreamed of.   

Something happened in the 300 years I was away.  I came across someone who wasn't the easiest opponent in the world, another immortal. Aww and I thought I was the only one (by default of course, it is my universe after all...)   But in a way, it has cured my eternal boredom, not that destroying planets I didn't like for reasons that even any inmate encompassed by a padded cell would find insane wasn't fun, but on the other hand it wasn't CHALLENGING either.  Maybe this individual was spawned purely to challenge me, and likewise challenge themselves.   Fate creating a not-quite opposite equal to make eternity become more interesting for once.  It was the discovery of his existence which made me recruit the grunts to construct my training half-planet.  Something which is going to be nothing but dust unless I stop walking around admiring it, and start testing its limits.  I strip down to a black Lycra sportsbra and training shorts, spot the nearest environmental control and switch the gravity to 800x for a quick warm-up.  I stretch for a bit to loosen up my muscles and sinews, and after a while everything is ready to move like a well oiled machine.   20,000 reps of normal situps, followed by another 20,000 with twists, then 15,000 upside down, 15,000 finger push-ups, 15,000 handstand push-ups... sufficient warm up.   

After 50 reps of the first exercise, my body gets used to it and the thinking part of my brain disengages, leaving only the part that keeps count to stay with my body.  My mind wanders back to the events which lead up to this moment.

*******            *********            **********             **************             ****************             *************          *********          ********            ********        *****

Around 500 years ago roughly,  for I have no real concept of time until it has passed, I was asleep, drifting along the line which separates dream from reality in a random patch of space.   I had only been slumbering for a few millennia after being awake for even longer and was receiving a strange vision amongst my usual create/destroy/create patterns...  A woman showed up in my silent Internal Universe...  she looked quite young, and DEFINATELY not from around here.  She appeared to be a different texture... and something _alien_ to that of this entire universe in all it's perpetual infinity.   

She looked up at me,  held out both her hands, fists closed at first, then she slowly opened the left one like a flower greeting a sun, revealing a figure standing atop it.  It stood there, static and semi-transparent, as if only just been created.  Now this.. I could relate to.   The appearance of the tiny figure, it's faint facial features - hair, eyes, nose, mouth - and body shape and all the textures, were akin to those of my universe.  She was a fine looking specimen too, knowing full well some of the abominations I've created when in a rotten state of mind.  I felt a kind of bond, a pull to this figure.. but before I could put my ethereal finger on what it was, she opened her other hand.  A strange dark dull ball hovered there, and this alien creature didn't look the type to initiate a game of catch.  Its outer crust seemed to be a protective seal (protecting whom?) but having very sensitive psychic energy I could pick up what was underneath the tar-like surface bundled up in negative space, a pile of dark thoughts and images all cluttered together.  The energy coming off it hit me with surprising force, allowing me to feel and be these dark sensations for a brief moment.  There was a lot of black, a lot of spiky angry images, sounds of war cries and bone crunching on bone, the sizzling of flesh, the slither of entrails as they fall from their cavity and splodge on the stained ground, the screams of torturous agony and groans and gurgles of the dying... the smell of battle-aftermath decay, bloated eyeless cadavers putrefying under a harsh sun.   

An adrenaline-like rush surged through my body... I hadn't felt this charged up in eons, I observed outside my coma.   This female.. such a strange power she has.  Is she also such as I?  I look into her eyes -  not looking up at me, but looking straight at me, searching me… for some hint of recognition?  How odd, for I cannot remember faces, only planets and races as a whole.  I concentrate on her eyes.. almost staring beyond them..  Green, with flecks of grey, blue, and brown... Betraying knowledge beyond her years to those who knew how to look for it.  Those eyes had so much substance, again, extra layers of texture which I could never attain.  And did not really want to, I was quite happy with my shapeless  physical form. 

Or was I?  

I kept thinking back to that figure, and slowly I began to move out of my dream body, able to observe myself (a sentient floating mist) and the woman in profile, her short brown hair bristling as she held my gaze.  How can it be that her body language tells me she is not afraid..?  That she presents herself as.. an equal?  A feeling I wasn't used to, and never could get used to.  

I watch the woman hold out her left hand with the figure on it, whisper to it, and it jumps off her hand into the mist which is me.   I watch myself change shape, the mist slowly morphs into a head, torso and appendages, and I become a larger semi-transparent replica of the little figure, roughly the same height of the foreign woman.  I have an unruly mop of dark-purple hair, eyes so black the transition between pupil and iris is indistinguishable, a jaw which suggests a haughty, if not regal demeanour, a small sharp nose, lips that on orders from the brain can transcend from tight and serious to full and sensual,  a lightly-tanned lean, lithe body, well muscled; enough breast flesh to discern I'm female, deltoids, triceps and biceps which not freakishly oversized but proportioned to this frame yet belying a strength unimagined in such a compact build; a stomach you could break steel on, a brown fluffy tail, glutes that could rend electrons from their valence shells; well formed quads and adductors and hamstrings, defined prominent calves tapering down to strong ankles and arched feet spread wide.. hold up...a tail?!?!?!  A TAIL!!!! Well that explains it, no wonder it seemed familiar.  I'm one of _them _now.   

I wanted to ask "why?"  but I couldn't establish contact with her because I was disjointed from my body.  The woman then held her right hand out, energy pulsating impatiently underneath its matt-black cocoon.  She brought it slowly to my chest, pressing it between the recently formed breasts.  I could see the expression of burning agony on her/my face as the thick angry dark red negative energy snaked its way outwards, most of it disappearing under the skin where the woman had laid her palm, the rest sleeking its way to her/my extremities, and into her/my eyes, nose, mouth and other orifices, and sank beneath the subcutaneous tissue and beyond.   The convulsions and contortions triggered by the introduction of this energy began to subside, and finally diminish.  She/I was now no longer semi-transparent, but realistically solid.  Her eyes, which had had an empty vacant dark look before, were still the same black, but they now possessed an arrogant, sadistic, evil, sick, twisted gleam in them which wasn't present before, and her lips were now shaped into a devilish proud smirk.   I have a notion I'm not going to be on the outside looking in for much longer as I felt myself being pulled into the body, on the inside looking out... and soon I am complete.


	3. Chapter 2: The Revelation

**DISCLAIMER:  **Me:  Oh great Shenron… grant my wish.. I wish to own Dragonball Z etc!!!  
                       Shenron:  It.. can..not… be… done….    
                       Me:  Can I wish for just Vegeta then?  
                       Shenron:  NO!!  Begone… puny…. mortal!!  I'm… going… for… a… manicure. Ciao…  
                       Me: ………  

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**Voices **(In One's Head by `InSaNe`/Schizophrenic Eggplant

Part 1.  Chapter 2:  The Revelation. 

Up, twist right, twist left, down... Up, twist right, twist left, down... 19,99.."Seven!"...19,99.."Eight!!...19,99.."NINE!....Twenty... thousand!!" I grunt, as I complete my final sit up with twists.  I stretch it out for a few seconds before I stand up, leap and  half somersault in the air all in one motion, my feet aiming for the footholds a metre below the tall ceiling.  They reach their target, slipping into the upside-down boot-shaped holds.  I fasten the clips to lock my feet into position and dangle, my head pointing towards the ground, before commencing the upside-down sit-ups.   I pull myself up, squeezing my abs, bringing my head forward so it now touches my knees and I hold it there for 5 seconds before I relax and hang vertically from the footholds again.  Then I tense my back, shoulders, and buttocks to bring me up the other way, arching my spine as far as I can, holding for another 5 seconds, then relax.  

"One!" I expel.   I repeat these actions many more times, counting the first 100 consciously, then my mind wanders again.

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The negative energy was a part of me now.   I stare through eyes which filter all the good things out of my thoughts and leave only malice and malevolence.  I am the combined force of the two elements that this woman before me had held in the palms of her hands.  And I am the finished product.  Complete.  Balanced.  In total control.  This, I agreed to myself, whether from actual appreciation or the fact that my ego was now bigger than the universe itself, is the best physical form and state I have ever experienced.  I gaze down at my naked arms and touch the skin.  To my surprise I was quite cold, most likely caused  by the dark essences instilled in me.  I didn't _feel_ cold though, inside it felt like a furnace was raging through the centre of my being.   I forced myself to make eye contact with the woman.   I notice her hair has grown slightly longer, into hard spikes, and its colour now mimics my own.  I reluctantly meet her busy green-amber-blue-grey eyes, and we hold our gazes steady and unblinking.

"What do you think, sister?  Do you like it?" she asked.  I decided to test my improved skills in callousness.

"What's it to you?"  This resulted in one side of her mouth to curl and almost imitate my own smirk.

"Ahh.. so you do.  Considering I created you, I know your responses, for they would be mine.." she pauses and sighs in a resigned manner, "..if I were to be able to use such powerful energy driven by anger on my planet.  If you hadn't liked it, you would have told me outright, showing your displeasure.  Have I really given you anything to be disgusted BY?"

I think of a retort to her question.  Disgusted.... hmm..

"Disgusted??? By what!!?  Look at me!  I'm... I'm... OK so I'm not disgusted." I finally admit. "Let me ask you something now."  She nods.

"Who are you?  It's obvious you're not from this.. from MY universe.. not from this dimension even!  Tell me now!!!"  My stance became aggressive (out of instinct?).  

Calmly, she narrowed her eyes a little, intensifying her stare.  

"Shouldn't you be more concerned asking yourself who You are?  I can give you your answer there."

"I know what I am!  I'm the sole charge of this entire Universe, newly revised!! Ready to spread chaos now I have a physical form, that of a Sai--Arrgh!!  What are you doing??"  A spider-like presence crawled around inside my head and cut off my speech.  Of course, I was going to fight it.  I sent out pain, and lots of it, to stop those cold fingers scuttling through my brain.  I noticed a burning hotness against my face and the tentacles grabbed at my hypothalamus, twisting it sharply.  Suppressing a scream, grimacing, I unclenched my eyelids, finding out what was causing the hotness on my face.  Those eyes of hers.. they were glowing, and radiating heat from their source.  

_Counter pain with more pain.  The more you give, the more I will return, so I suggest you stop._  Her voice resounded in my cerebral cortex in a low tone.   I quickly recovered from the shock of the forced telepathy.   She smiled slightly and spoke normally. 

"So.. you may know What you are, but that was the wrong answer.  'WHO am I?' should be the correct one, and I shall give you the answer."  

"Well?  WHO am I?  Geez, what is this a grammar lesson as well, huh?"   I cross my arms and sneer at her under hooded brows.  She draws nearer, floating, until her nose is almost pressing against mine.   Her green eyes, the glowing less harsh now but still with a crazed tinge, locked with my dark shining voids.  All of a sudden her face breaks out into a huge grin, a grin I hope to master in the future.  Any mortal would have died of fear instantly witnessing this mad if not mad_dening_ visage, moreso at point blank range.   She places her hands on my shoulders and exclaims with insane jubilance through her bared teeth: 

"You.  Are a part of Me!" 


	4. Chapter 3: Out of Touch

**DISCLAIMER:   ****Gets down on knees**  DON'T SUE ME PLEASE!!!!  I'm just an honest hard-working soul with nothing to give but my story written about characters I don't even own!!!!   But, I do own two things in this fic.  Me, and my character who has a name, but it's a secret at the moment.

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**A small Author's note:**  To save confusion later on, anything in italics are my direct thoughts when interacting with my character.  ~…...~ Those are my character's thoughts.  Just thought I should clarify that.  
_My thoughts and communication.  
_~ Character communication. ~  
"Dialogue."  (just normal..)  
Anything else is (unless otherwise specified) first person perspective of my character.  ^_^

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**Voices **(In One's Head) by `InSaNe`/Schizophrenic Eggplant

Part 1.  Chapter 3:  Out of Touch. 

.."Fifteen.... thousand!!"   

I unclip the footholds and slip out of them and descend slowly, touching one foot onto the red tiled floor, followed by the other, stretching all the way.  Half-way through my warm up, and I'm starting to feel really energised.  I'll find out just how much after I've done my 30,000 push-ups.    I lay on my stomach, embracing the semi-warm tiles like a jellyfish, before easing myself up so all that's supporting me are my toes and index fingers.   I push upwards so my arms are not quite locked, and then lower myself back down, slow and controlled.  

"One... two...... three...... four.... five.........

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"I'm.... YOU?"  I refrained from making my expression of outrage subtle.  "No way!!  I can't be you!"

"No point denying it...  you aren't me as a whole, just a part of me.  All my thoughts of genocide, interesting and unique methods of violence, slow and painful death, QUICK and painful death, extreme arrogance, torture, fighting with no limits attached... all of that is now you." 

"If you make yourself out to be so powerful as to carry out something such as..This," Gesturing at myself to get the point across, "then why can't you do all those things under your OWN steam?"  Silence.

It seemed like I had struck a nerve.  Not that I really cared.  She bared her teeth again, but this time in a sneer, her eyes darkened under eyebrows which had transgressed into a frown.  Agitation created a rough edge on her voice.

"If I HAD that opportunity, I wouldn't be here giving it to you!  If I could simply walk around, spilling the blood of any imbecile who looked at me funny, don't you think I would?!?!! Or even better, hover above a proud city of concrete and steel, and blast it into a crater, incinerating its inhabitants instantly!"  she caught her breath, then murmured reflectively... "If only I could...  but there are so many.. Rules.." Saying the last word as if she had eaten something undesirable..."in SoCIeTY.." she practically SPAT that word out, "which prevent me from carrying out these enjoyable and satisfying acts."

"Rules..?  What are rules?"  Being a sole deity with no-one in charge of me, and no-one to answer to, I had no idea of the meaning of this word.  

Instead of explaining with words, the woman got into my head again, and explained it using pictures, which she erased soon afterwards at my instruction.   These images were sickening, horrifying in fact, and that it came from the woman's experience alone made me feel... well, it wasn't pity, it was like I was becoming more keen to be a part of what she had in store, and I found myself beginning to accept that my mind going to be shared with her.   These "rules" held her back from acting on her instincts, and nothing and no-one should take that away from anybody.  That's the generalisation of it, I won't go into heavy, or even light detail. As strong as I am, I physically shuddered while the visions were playing in my mind, the limitations she (and I in an observers point of view) was restricted by were tremendous, and would be counted as a fear if I knew what that was (don't worry, I find out soon enough).  

I also chuckled to myself as I found out a little more about this mysterious woman.  Her power only lay within her mind, if she could kill with a thought, her planet would be barren.  Physically, compared to my strength, even before I was transformed into this warrior, she is nothing, her race is laughable.  She cannot use her mind to lift even a feather, she explained.. it's the Rules of Nature.. also that one can't fly because of the Rules of Gravity.  Her power lay only in manifestation of imagery in her minds eye and believing rock-solid that it was more real than her "reality", and succeeding.  I shook my head in disbelief.   No wonder she didn't create me as a copy of herself.  As if on cue, a sliver of curiosity creeps out of the corners of my sinister thoughts.   I swished my tail behind me, curling it and uncurling it around my waist, as if it's origins were at the forefront of my mind, which they were.    
  


"They're a powerful race you know" she declared, obviously taking the hint.   I had to agree, because it was no lie, and because I was now one, I could feel the pride course through me as if it were an ingredient in the blood.  She continued..

"I have done extensive research and found there is no better race to use as a vessel to channel my anger and hate through, to stretch the power of what my mind is capable of, to.. to.. no.  Now is NOT the time."

"Time for what?  Come on, out with it!"  I wanted to know the reason why she drifted off like that.  There had to be something else.

"I.. I can't say... maybe later."  Waiting WAS one of my skills in the past.. but patience wasn't included in my 'package'.  I wanted to know more... how she knew about this race from one single planet of the multitude she could have picked from.... that planet.. with it's high towers in the area populated with that other race... and the dry arid deserts, where _they _resided.  

~ Planet Plant, ~ I thought..

_Planet Vegeta.. _her first word echoed mine in stereo, overlapping in my mind... the second was  different.. were we thinking of the same planet after all?  She shook her head sorrowfully.

"You HAVE been out of touch, haven't you?"  


	5. Chapter 4: A Final Briefing

**DISCLAIMER:  **Mysterious Torture-Person:  Say the words!!!  
                       Me:  Never!!!!!!    
                       Mysterious Torture-Person *tortures some more*  
                       Me: *squeals* OOOOOWWWWWWWWWW that tickles!!!  More!!  
                       M T-P:  You're enjoying it??  That's no fun.  Wait!  I'll fetch 'The RACK!!'  Don't go away!  Oh that's right, you can't!  Muahaha I'm so evil.  
                       Me: *yells at Torture-person who's clattering around in another room*   Ha!  I can do with a bit of spinal alignment!  
                       M T-P: *cackles evilly as he emerges*  Not with THIS Rack!!!  *brandishes a dish-rack from behind his back, and some pantyhose in the other*  
                       Me:  *eyes widen in terror*  No..n-n-n-nonononoo!!!  Not THE Rack!!!    
                       M T-P:  *grins under his torturers hood*  Yes, THE Rack!!  *advances closer, his oiled body gleaming.*  
                       Me: *cracks under pressure*  OK, OK, I'll say the words!!  I. Don't.  Own.  DB/Z/GT.   There, can I go now?  
                       M T-P:  Hmmm.  No.  *ties the dish-rack to me with the pantyhose and twists it with a menacing laugh*  
                       Me:  *screams out in pain, then amidst the madman's insane laughter looks at readers and winks*  The only 'torture' is not being able to touch the torturer                                  cos my bloody hands are tied up!!  *pouts*  
                       M T-P:  I love my job…! 

**Voices** (In One's Head) by `InSaNe`/Schizophrenic Eggplant

**Part 1.  Chapter 4:**  A Final Briefing.

…"Fourteen-thousand.... nine-hundred-and-ninety-nine................ Fifteen....thousand!!" 

I lever myself up to a handstand, well, a fist-stand.  With controlled slow movement I lower myself down, my head almost touching the floor, then push up while exhaling.. later I'll probably start grunting, this exercise is quite taxing for I only use my raw strength for warm-ups, no extra energy at all.   I count in my head, for my mind has left again....

********        *************         **************          ***********        *************         ***********       ***********        ***********        ************       **********

"Planet..... Vegeta?"  Either I've got the wrong planet or-

"It was renamed."  

"When..?  And how?"  I should really have kept a closer eye on these situations.

"About 2 years ago."

"Well, no wonder I hadn't realised, it has been a long time since I personally visited that planet.  The universe isn't exactly small, you know.  How did it happen?"

"It was a routine Saiyajin raid on the Tsufurujin.  The latter were getting the upper hand because of their strength in numbers and advanced technology, however nature was not on the side of the Tsufurujin that night.  The moon was full.. buildings crumbled and heads of gigantic beasts became part of the skyline as the Saiyajin transformed.  They easily overpowered the Tsufurujin and took over the planet, naming it after the one who lead the attack, who also became their king shortly after.  As well as claiming the planet, they utilised the Tsufuru technology, and what they didn't have they acquired in exchange for odd jobs as planet brokers for whoever would hire them.  Currently, they are under the thumb of one Frieza.  Perhaps your memory recalls him?"

"'It', you mean, and yes, IT is quite a pest.  Is that what it's doing now?  Ahh.. it was such a sadistic child.. pulling the wings and legs off flying insects and burning them with its eye-lasers.  Who would have thought it'd become a galactic overlord?"  That messy little Frieza, I've cleaned up a lot of waste it's left behind...

"He.. - It -  has its sights set on the universe, are you aware of that?"  She braced herself for the unpredictability of my response that my universe may be under threat, which of course it wasn't... the effeminate lizard-"boy" really had no idea how hard it is to conquer infinity.

"Your joking right?"  There was no give-away crinkle of a smile, her face was solemn, and then shocked as I threw my head back and laughed.  Not a happy jolly laugh; an evil 'as if THATS ever going to happen' laugh, like a poverty-stricken father who thinks his kid's going to amount to nothing, and that same kid trying to tell him that when he grows up he's going to be famous and make lots of money.  If that kid was Frieza, it'd be floating through space in a cardboard box munching out on jettisoned waste if I had my way.  Nice thought... but it amused me, like watching an annoying yet addictive soap opera..

"So what's _your_ deal with the Saiyajin then?  Obviously there's something if you decided to choose me to be one.  Something other than what you've already mentioned, perhaps."   I asked her, shaking myself out of the short reverie, and trying to clamp down on her moment of vagueness, wanting to know what she was hiding.

"If I were able to choose my re-incarnation, it would be as a Saiyajin." she said, deliberately not listening to me.  Her answer was not the one I wanted.  I was certain she was skirting the issue.  I don't blame her wishes... but needless to say, I gave her a questioning look.  

I had almost given up mouthing off at her, it was a pointless waste of energy.   My mannerisms were still cold, but in my terms I wasn't going too hard on her in the acid department.  And besides, I wanted to know what she wouldn't tell me before... to see if I could manipulate her into divulging it. 

"This was the next best thing I could come up with.. restablish a connection with the universal entity who had at least heard of them... and one I had been out of touch with for such a long time.  I didn't know how long it was going to take me.  Luckily I found you then, eh?"

"YOU are lucky I am becoming sick of hibernating, and want some fun, or I might not have complied." I replied huffily.  "This is not an invitation to get chummy with me."   I crossed my arms, and did something I hadn't done in all our time together.  I turned my back on her to glower into the infinite white of my Internal Universe.  I turned my head a little and looked out of the corner of my eye to see if she had gone, but she was still there.. inspecting her nails for dirt, I observed.   I didn't turn back around after that.  Until...

"You have no idea just how much fun do you?" She blurted out.  "You think you're alone in this?  That you're the only immortal on this plain?  Well, I hate to tell you this, but you won't be for much longer!!."

"WHAAAAAATT???" A/N: replace with NANI???? if you so choose  I spun around, the fire inside me heating up a portion, anger fuelling it.  I had not noticed any real change, but by the stunned look on her face, she had.

"Woah... it looks even more impressive when I'm looking at it for real... I could have never imagined..." 

"What are you talking about now??"  I am aware that her form is wavering in front of my vision.

"Your ki... such power.... wow...!  Nowhere near your maximum... I'm blown away!.. Never have I seen-"

"My What?"  I'd always had energy.. it came with having the advantage that time was not against me, so I could at liberty take the years to master it.   I just wasn't familiar with the term she was using so I was somewhat puzzled.

"Fire.. white fire.. burning around you.. can't you see it?"  

**I'm **causing the very air to waver?  OK, sure.. as I mentioned before, I wasn't a stranger to energy manipulation and suchlike... but this was something I'd never encountered personally, a visible angry flame flaring up in response to her recent remark.

"You have a lot of explaining to do, alien woman." I stated coldly.

"Umm.. sure thing.  Well, ki is-"  I silenced her with a wave of my hand.

"THAT can wait.  I'm interested in what you were saying earlier... that I'm not the only immortal?? How is this so?"  Since she was on the back foot, I reckoned I could pull this off and extract the information.  Being reminded of this increased the raging inside and before me everything became faintly tinged with blue.   Her face grew a few shades lighter.

"It.. it.. won't happen for at least another 30 odd years... your time."  

"30 years is really nothing to me.  I do want to sleep for a little while longer, although there is no point now I have a reason to wake.  How will I know this immortal? Aren't you going to describe them or something?"  I felt detached from my voice... a similar feeling to consciously noticing that one is talking in ones sleep.

"It's time for you to awaken, and for me to depart... I cannot tell you much more... except that he too, is Saiyajin.... and it is you who is fated to make him immortal... how's that for irony.." She paled under the blaze of my obsidian optical daggers.  That rhetoric was nothing but a fatal attempt at humour, which I was not in the least in the mood for.   

"Umm... I have to go now,  I won't be far away for we are psychically connected.." were her last words for now, but I was deafened by the "WHAT??? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!"  emanating from deep within.  Through eyes almost impaired by blind rage I watched as my Internal Universe broke down around me, and I was jolted awake by that very same "nOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"

I was back.  After all these millennia.  Awake again... what was I going to do?

END OF PART 1.


	6. PART TWO: HERE AND NOW AND NOWHERE ...

**DISCLAIMER:  **Me:  I own DB/Z/GT!!!     
                       Distant Voice:  Umm.. Schizo, two Vegeta action figures and a whole lot of miscellaneous stuff like chippie packets and dizks and cards and crazybones and books don't count as owning DB/Z/GT.  
                       Me:  *sulking* It doesn't?  Not even my Fat Gotenks 3D sticker?  
                       Distant Voice:  No.  
                       Me: … *sobs*  OK, then, I don't own DB/Z/GT.. *cries inconsolably*  But I wanna…..!!!

  
Ok, again, to clarify.

_Italics denote anything which is said or thought by me._  
~ Squiggly things are my characters thought-speech. ~

"This is normal dialogue!!!"

And normal text without any fancy bits are the thoughts and actions etc of my character.  (Unless specified)

I kinda thought this chapter was fairly short, so uploaded 2/3 of Part 2 (yes its small).  Again, I thank you all for your lovely positive reviews ^_^

****

**Voices **(In One's Head) by `InSaNe`/Schizophrenic Eggplant

Part 2:  Here and Now and Nowhere -   Chapter 5:  A Preposterous Proposition 

My warm-up complete, I invert my stance so I'm now on my feet again.  I mop up with a towel the small puddle of sweat that had formed as droplets fallen from my hair onto the red tiles.   Glancing out the oval shaped windows I can see it is beginning to get dark and I'm feeling pretty hungry so I felt it would be more effective to resume my training after a small snack to quell my grumbling stomach.  I exit the training chamber and become skybound, using the quickest mode of transport to my abode.  

Showing off for the hell of it, I power up a little to fly faster and do a series of hi-speed aerobatic somersaults, twists and dive-bombs until a certain gastric organ reminds me of it's presence, and not wanting to disappoint it I hightail it to my quarters.   Below me the landscape whizzes past, and the wind rushes in my ears and pushes back my hair.  Espying my vast living space in front of me, I decelerate and descend, coming to a halt hovering in front of an open window.   I step in to my favourite room in the house.. the Kitchen, which isn't really a kitchen, just a huge room with a cupboard, a fridge and a deep freeze.    

I reach into this cavernous deep-freeze, wondering what soon-to-be defrosted morsel I'll help myself to this time.  It sort of reminds me of a grotesque lucky-dip, as I pull out a frozen headless corpse of something that once was hairy, but of course I had skinned it, and gutted it.. as pretty as glistening intestines may look, I'm not interested in digesting what has previously been digested.  OK.. this big guys going to thaw a bit while I get some more fuel!   Lets see... roughly 50 pizzas, 20 cans of random stuff, 14 heat-and-eat meals for 4 (4?? who are they kidding?), and a 30 litre bucket of rice.  

I drag the still-frozen hunk of snack over to a part in the floor which has blackened a little.  I extend my arm, aiming it at the already-dead alien, as if to kill it a second time.. "Prepare to defrost!" I mock-yell at the stiff recipient of my weak ki blast - I want to melt the ice of it, not disintegrate it entirely!  I let it surround the meat for a count of 10 before dissipating it, insert a finger into a thigh and wiggle it into the muscle to see how far the heat had managed to get in.  Hmm.. not bad!  The rarer the better!  It was cooked through to about an inch, the rest red raw and a little warm, just the way I like it.   I lick my lips as I pick it up and throw it on the dining table, or trough, which was placed in front of some comfy cushions so I could get the most out of enjoying my meal. In this trough I also place the rest of the food, still in their containers, removing the tops from the cans with thin beams emitted from my index finger.   I sit myself down on the cushions, tear off a strip of meat and am about to put it in its rightful place, smiling as I take the first bite.

_Oh good, you're not busy._

"What do you mean I'm not busy??  I've just started to eat!  I AM busy.  But.. at least you didn't bug me while I was doing my warm-up.. AND IF YOU BOTHER ME DURING MY TRAINING IT.. It won't be pleasant."

_Come on!! Lighten up!  Ewww.. what's for dinner? _

"If you don't like the looks of it, remove yourself from its presence.  And mine, if all your going to do is provoke my anger.   From now on, I'm only going to open my mouth to eat, so if it's conversation you're looking for you've chosen the wrong time." A chuckle chimes through the hallways of my mind.  

_Haven't you realised yet you don't need to talk to me with your mouth?  I only need to hear your thoughts!  So, you can eat while you tell me what I've been aching to know.  I've been waiting six whole months for this information, ya know!   I respected your wishes and left you alone most of the time you were away, not counting the times you asked for my assistance, so I think it would be-_

~ Most of the time???  Yeah, right. ~  I correct her.

_Those were necessary, and I didn't intervene, I was merely guiding your actions, and the other ones didn't even take place in this realm, but in the minds of others.._

_~ _**Guiding!!!??**.  Is that what you call it?  I would have called it Total Prevention.  You froze my body somehow, stopping me from doing what I was fighting to carry out!!  You coerced me into undertaking weird and ridiculous pointless tasks while I vehemently refused.  I had no control over my body during those moments!!!  And you have the nerve to say it was guidance?  And with that mind-thing.  You are NOT to try that again.  It was a good idea at the time but you put us in too much danger.  ~

_It became guidance when your lesser consciousness began resisting your determination, and questioned your actions once I assured the part that listened that there was a better way.. that's when I was able to introduce the wedge which controlled your physical actions dictated by those of your lesser consciousness, rather than the greater.   That was all I needed.. and there WAS a better way in the end, wasn't there?  And were the tasks pointless once you saw the big picture?  Was I wrong?_

I sigh.  She is right, which irritates the shit out of me.  Rather than admitting it, I let silence portray my answer, which she acknowledges before doing what I deem Very sensible - sticking to the path of the subject at hand.  

_So?? How did the rest go?   Did it all run smoothly and fit into place?  Did it feel right?  Come on sister, tell me!!_

~ There were a few glitches here and there, but that just made it all the more fun.  I enjoyed the fighting a lot, I could've done without losing though... But I won the next round and got my own back. ~    I laughed to myself internally, a dry chuckle.  ~ I sense my adversary is on their way here. ~ 

_HE'S coming HERE???   _Her astonishment ricochets around the inside of my skull.

~ Yes, and soon.  Why, are you surprised?  You think he'd accept defeat??  Ha! ~   I grin through the 10th meal for 4 and can of garden peas I simultaneously stuff in my mouth. 

_Hells no, I just didn't realise it was happening this fast!!  That's why you're going to be training so intensely isn't it?_

~ Quite possibly ~     I replied, giving her a vague response while guzzling the last of the rice, thus completing my snack.  I did not know if she had received my reply, her presence in my head became distant, weaker, hesitant.

_Could I be so bold as to suggest..._

~ WHAT? ~ 

_I really do not wish to impose on your training, but I feel..._

~ Out with it already!!  My time is not to be wasted! ~    I step out onto the window, preparing to take flight...

_...you may benefit by having me as a sparring partner._

...and fall off the ledge onto the grass below, laughing hysterically.


	7. Chapter 6: Training Trouble

**DISCLAIMER:**  To own, or not to own?   That is the question.  The Truth, however much it burdens me with heartfelt woe, is, alas – I do not. *swoons*

**Little Author Bit:**  *recovers from dramatic swoon*  Rightio, this is a second instalment considering the last chapter was quite short.  This one isn't so big either, but uploading two at the same time should make up for it, right?  RIGHT!?!??!   ~_^

_Italics are my thoughts – internal and external.  
_~ Squiggles are my characters thought-speech ~  
"Normal Talking Dialogue."  
And non-fancified text is my characters thoughts (non-conversational ones.. which can still be picked up by me if I'm listening in – annoying eh?)  and actions, etc.

**Voices **(In One's Head) by `InSaNe`/Schizophrenic Eggplant

Part 2.  Chapter 6:  Training Trouble. 

"For the 100,000th time, NO! Absolutely not!"

_I'm stronger than what I seem._

"Not from what I've seen, if you're so strong, why don't you fight against the people who make those rule-thingies?"

_That's different.  My mortal physical body is useless, in fact you could kill it in a microsecond.  What  I'm in fact meaning is a solid manifestation of my mental and psychic powers, projected as my physical form, combined with elite strength.  How does that sound to you?  Challenging enough?_

"Aaaaarh... you'll just get in the way! I train alone!!"

_I've heard That one before.._

"So have I! What are you implying??"

_Nothing, nothing... come on.. pleeeeeaaaaaaaaseeeeee??????_

"I have to be focused!  You should understand that!!"

_But...!_

"But Nothing!!  Once I complete this battle, I may consider playing with you."  Silence.  Good.  I continue my flight path back to my training quarters quickly, my energy boosted by the revitalising snack.   I hear grumbling.  I can't be hungry again already!!?   Ha.  It's her, grumbling in my head.   I can't quite make out what it is she's on about... ahh.. I shouldn't be worrying myself with her petty complaints.  

I touch down at the entrance to the chamber, sprint past the warm-up facility and into the main training area.  Turning to an environmental-control switch, I program it for 1200 times the gravity of this planet, increasing by 200 increments every 2 hours, setting 3000 to the max if I manage to get that far.  The room gives a hiss as it adjusts itself, the air grows heavier, and the humming lights emit a dim red glow amongst their usual brightness.   I punch in a sequence of buttons to activate my training equipment, and stand stock-still. With a whizz and a click, one tile every 100 rows opens up, and closes again with a puff of hydraulics once the training apparatus has lifted clear of their concealed storage places.   These metal spheres crackle and snick with electrical energy, ready to home in on their target (me) once they sense any sign of movement, as it is with Training Level 1.  I have just adjusted my body to the gravitational force, so I make a move to commence.

_You're choosing to play with metal balls instead of sparring with someone who at least resembles a formidable opponent???  And I ask myself, who's the crazy one here?_

"Quiet you!! I'm-" realising just in time these spheres are also sensitive to sound as the nearest one rushes towards me, halting 2 inches away from my midsection buzzing ominously, it's shiny surface glowing with tiny needles of electricity which are close enough to tingle my skin.

~ I'm TRAINING!! ~

_I see that._

~ You are not to bother me, woman!  Get out of my head and continue with your menial existence. This is not your place! ~  

I concentrate on putting her in the darkest corner of my mind where all her screams and carry-on won't cause distractions.   

Smiling at the ball, I disappear, using my speed to get to higher ground without it noticing my movements.  Cheating of course by moving so fast, but only due to unwanted interruptions.  Level 1 is more agility training than anything, how to get out of tight spaces without being hit.   I fly along the huge distance, and circle, keeping close to the ceiling.  Dodging the rogue spheres which come flying at me from the boiling mass below, they're starting to become smarter, logging my moves and strategies.  2 speed towards me at the same time, then 3, 4, and 10... which I don't find very difficult as I snake around them, evading the sudden rapid advances of their movement. They increase in number until I am surrounded from all sides, packed in solid.  Every time I twitch even a little bit, they inch closer, their combined hum almost hypnotic.

_Looks like you've got yourself in a pickle.  _Great. She managed to slip through the barrier I had put up to keep her out, while I'm trying to nut out these spheres.

~ I'd like to see YOU attempt it. ~

_You can, if I may spar with you.  How does that sound?_

~ Be realistic!  That's not an option!! ~

_Fine, get fried then._

~ No chance, I have a plan. ~__

_HAHA!  This I've got to s-_

~ It's got nothing to do with you. Take my advice and leave. ~

_I know what your gonna do anyway.  And here's some advice from me.  Take some damage.  It'll make you stronger, you'll see._

~ GET OUT!!! ~

Her presence vanishes for the moment.  I have a feeling which makes me seethe.  She'll be back.

She'll be the one taking the damage..oh yes.  Right, now to deal with these imbecilic spheres of doom.  With as little movement as I could get away with, I muster up some of my energy, and push outwards while screaming "COME GET ME, YA SHITS!! HAHA!!"

## ENERGY DETECTED ##  monotones an electronic male voice over my scream, before I was about to let loose..  

## INITIATING LEVEL 2 ##  Level 2??  Holy Mother of Creation!! (wait a sec, that's me.. sorta).  Erm.... Level 2... Level...2.. No wait!! That's the ki exercise!!  Well, I'm ready for it..

I power up more as the spheres around me begin to glow and I'm looking down 500 small cannons, one protruding from each ball, all aimed at me and primed to fire pure energy.

"Bring it on then!  I'll show you that I can out-power mere machines!! YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!"  A strong burst of ki radiates from within me, a powerful wall, attempting to break through, and BREAK the spheres encircled around me.  It is met by their reply - 500 beams of energy erupt from the cannons, locking around my wall, trying to get past it, weaken it.  I hold strong, scream again, and rigidly stretch my body out to become an extension of the ki, pushing it out further.  Legs apart, arms apart, fingers splayed.. the light emitted from my efforts and that of the opposing mechanical force is blinding.  Just.. a little.. more..

_Looks like your going to get the damage after all_

~ How can you say that??  My plan is working perfectly!" ~

_Yes, I agree.. if you'd been keeping an eye on the time situation.._

~ What do you mean by that? ~

_I mean you'll have to do away with the spheres in the next 5 seconds if your using the amount of energy you're using right now, unless you can summon up more in a hurry.. _

~ And whys th- ~

## GRAVITY INCREASING TO 1400 TIMES NORMAL PLANETARY RANGE IN 4... 3... ##

_There's your answer.._

.##..2...##

~ You doubt my abilities, girl? HA! Watch and learn.. and then Leave Me Alone!!! ~

##..1.  GRAVITY SUSTAINED AT 1400 ##

I grit my teeth, screw up my eyes, and let out another animal-scream.  Below my level of concentration I sense myself dropping altitude.  I now have to stop myself from slipping any further, as well as keeping the energy beams at bay.  The tables have turned, the silver balls have accustomed themselves to the gravity automatically from their internal programming.   They zero in closer, shrinking my wall, which is functioning as a shield more than anything.  Damn their bolts and circuits!!  I struggle to keep myself level, and dig down to the depths of my energy reserves, focussing and concentrating.. visualising the next wave overwhelming them.  That is my goal.  I shall achieve it.  

I taunt the spheres.  "Come on, closer, what are ya!! Scared?"  I dig deep, the hatred of these stupid suped-up ball bearings is my energy-fuel, planning to lure them in, then BOOM! Ha Ha HAA. 

I notice their hum is now mixed with high pitched electronic beeps which I'm certain weren't there before..

## COMMAND ACKNOWLEDGED ##

Oh no, what now?

## INITIATING LEVEL 3 ##


	8. Chapter 7: Where to from Here?

**DISCLAIMER:  **(2000 years into the future, in a church-like building.  A sombre figure is reading some text from a thick book upon a lectern, to members of a congregation.  The male members wear a familiar hairdo in identical hair-pieces, while the females wear silky aqua veils.)

"…and Vegeta said unto Bulma:  'Woman!'" (Males of congregation yell 'Woman!') "'Fixeth thy Chamber of Gravity!  Do as I command thee, for I am the Prince of All Saiyans!'  And the Bulma said unto Vegeta 'I shall not.  I have repaired Thy Room, five and twenty times this week!  So doth bring it upon thou to do it thyself, you JERK!!'" (The females of the congregation repeat 'You Jerk!')"  The Almighty and Just Vegeta gazes upon the weak frail creature who defies his will, and ponders to himself that she too, is headstrong and worthy of a mate of his stature.  Then, he utters those words which still, to this day, makes Our Bulma's heart tremble – 'Bulma, I lo—'"

("TREMBLE THIS!!"  A voice is heard from outside the walls of the church/temple/shrine, and a wrecking ball smashes through the wall, with S.E standing atop it, holding on to the chain.  As well as removing part of the wall, it also knocks the reader clean off their perch behind the lectern, splattering the ball with blood and gore.  As the ball swings to a stop, white painted letters can be seen on its surface.  They Read:  I DO NOT OWN DB/Z/GT NOT NOW AND NOT IN 2000 YEARS!!)

**  
Authory bit:  **Eek!.. imagine if the world WAS like that in 2000 yrs and there was a B/V cult-type thing (like there isn't already).  Anyway… I think its time for my lobotomy now… 

_Italics are my thoughts – internal and external.  
_~ Squiggles are my characters thought-speech ~  
"Normal Talking Dialogue."  
And non-fancified text is my characters thoughts (non-conversational ones.. which can still be picked up by me if I'm listening in – annoying eh?)  and actions, etc.  
                     

**  
Voices **(In One's Head) by `InSaNe`/Schizophrenic Eggplant

Part 2.  Chapter 7:  Where to from Here? 

The area surrounding me becomes alive with *Ching!* *Ching!* noises, like blades being drawn from their scabbards.  And sure enough, spikes spring-load out of the spheres.  4 to each one, gleaming with a deathly sheen, thirsty for blood.  The blasted balls must've communicated to the main system!  There was no other way!!   Why the little.....

They're not the only ones who play dirty.. I prepare my final wave of ki with everything I've got.. only to find out they move back, retreating slowly.  I watch their movements, not convinced they aren't going to attack.  They undulate slowly, in a disjointed bubble around me, sticking to the shape, maintaining a pattern.  They advance, only to retreat again, gradually picking up speed as they continue their dance.  A low whine emanates from them as they increase the tempo, again advancing, closer this time, again retreating, all the while speeding up, the whine gathering pitch.  They swirl about randomly, but there is no randomness in machinery; rapidly switching directions.  

In they come again, even closer than before, my hair is blown about by the force of the 1000 or so spikes fanning and blurring.  This was supposed to be the super-speed exercise, but their formation is all wrong.  They weren't programmed to do move about like this at all, I specified something like a gauntlet, where I would fly head on towards them and they were to dart out at me swiftly almost to pass straight through me I'd be going so fast.. but this??!?  They were spinning out of control, but they were in control alright.. The whine was a high-pitched death-shriek now, rattling at the windows.  I had to keep an eye on the pattern, how they advanced and retreated, expanding and shrinking their circular shape, toying with me.  I'll show them.  I have a small glimpse of the future, very grisly unless I am to do something about it.  

Keeping up with the liquid-speed, I focus on the size of the gaps instead of the spheres themselves.  I knew I would have my chance once they finished the next round of attacks, for it was half-way through the cycle already, closing in, withdrawing, coming nearer, pulling back.. 2 more to go.. I hold my ground as the air whips around me as they advance, a metre from my body, churning mesmerically as they draw back, preparing for their final close "attack", knowing I can't do much at this stage but stand there and not move. 

They approach again, I find my breath sucked out of my lungs it's so intense.  Just 3 inches from my body they zoom in, I see my reflection in the mirror-coated bubble through wind-dried unblinking eyes.   They swarm around for longer than I feel comfortable with, glad to see them finally draw back, only not where I had predicted them to, only half the distance.  The gap is not sufficiently wide enough for me to pass through.  Their shriek progresses to an intermittent wailing, changing in pitch.  Laughter?  A/N: on par to that of that IRRITATING dubbed #19, but higher 

~Am I right, are they laughing? ~

_Oh so NOW you ask my opinion.._

~ Shut up, you're the only non-machine I could think of!  Are you going to answer me or not, I have no time to argue ~

_Yes, I believe it is the closest that non-sentient creations can get to laughter.. your not going to stand that treatment are you?_

~ Hell no!! I'm gonna annihilate these marbles!!! ~

I keep a very close eye on where the gaps are at, not being distracted by the mocking laughter, ready to make my move.  Seeing an inviting one larger at times than the others, I dematerialise, and re-appear on the outside of the giant blender, seconds before the inevitable manoeuvre I had predicted earlier came to occur.  With a rush of clangs they completely close in, meshing themselves in a tangle of spikes and sparks.  I would have been shish-kebabbed and worse.  Time to finish this once and for all.  

Ignoring a slight stinging in my leg, I face the balls extend my arm and dispatch of them with a blast of ki before their fuzzy logic informs them of my escape.  I grin triumphantly as they explode in a mass of bolts, springs, spikes and shards of shiny metal flying in all directions.  

I hold my pose as the clouds of burnt circuitry die down, then lower my arm once certain I had destroyed their entirety.  A few seconds later I am dealt a new fate in numerous incidents.

## GRAVITY LEVEL INCREASING TO 1600 TIMES NORMAL PLANETARY RANGE IN 5... 4......##  The hollow machine intones.   Ha.. I can cope with this now my body is used to 1400, and I've rid myself of the possessed training-devices so I can concentrate on adjusting myself to the new gravity, and resume training without those demon-spheres. 

## 3 ##  

_Hello..._

~ Hush!! I'm readying myself for the transition, can't you tell?? ~

_I'm aware of that, but-_

~ Shut up!!!! ~

It's a pity I killed all of those lackeys who constructed my chamber.. they'd have me to answer to right away if this is their idea of amusement to get back at me for enslaving them... and to think, I was lenient by giving them the unleashed roam of the whole planet.

## 2 ## 

_O great one I apologise for the intrusion... *_hurried thought-speech* _and I swear it's important but since you didn't acknowledge me before when you could've done something about it I can only sum it up in one word!_  Her mental tone is heavy with sarcasm, and a tinge of urgency sharpens it further.

Ingrates!  I should have shown them true pain, but instead against my better judgement gave them a merciful death as a  reward for completing their task in the time I had assigned them.... oh well..

~ Quickly!!! What is it..?? ~

## 1  ##  The pressurised hiss indicates the gravity is about to change

_BEHIND!!!!_

## GRAVITY SUSTAINED AT 1600 ##__

Three things occurred in a short amount of time in rapid succession.

Concentrating on increasing my ki to stop myself from been pancaked into the ground, I cannot yet fully turn half-circle, instead I strain my heavy neck muscles around and furtively glance behind me... No way!! I thought I had got them all!!  My eyes don't even have time to widen in surprise for a blinding flash of light whites out my vision.  A bolt of energy hits home at the base of my neck above the centre where my shoulderblades meet, creating instant black, the impact on my spine renders me unconscious and my body bonelessly dashes against the tiles which crack under and around me..  and again I succumb to the visions of the past.. although more fitful this time, and I have some added company.

END OF PART 2  (see I told yous it was short)


	9. PART THREE: VISIONS OF THE PAST: OF D...

**DISCLAIMER:  **It's nearly 5am and I can't think of anything to write in the disclaimer so I'll just keep it short.  I don't own DB/Z/GT…. Not even a little bit.  
  


**Authory bit:  **I don't make it a big deal to go on and on about receiving reviews, mainly because I hardly deal out ones myself… (although I am a little more frequently now).  But whoever reads this, I would really like to know what yous think…  I hope that's not asking too much…  ^_^

_Italics are my thoughts – internal and external.  
_~ Squiggles are my characters thought-speech ~  
"Normal Talking Dialogue."  
And non-fancified text is my characters thoughts (non-conversational ones.. which can still be picked up by me if I'm listening in – annoying eh?)  and actions, etc.  
  
****

**Voices **(In One's Head) by `InSaNe`/Schizophrenic Eggplant

Part 3:  Visions of the Past – Of Dreams and Discovery         –        Chapter 8:  The Mission Begins. 

The sole scream of a newborn alerts me to head for my course at more than just my cruise-speed.  The occasion has arisen.  Things are going to get messy in a short while, from my perspective.  For once, although not entirely my own wishes, I am to take an interest in one particular individual whose existence in normal circumstances - like those of the seemingly infinite populace of my expansive universe - would expire in the time it takes for me to blink an eye.  This individual has now begun his existence, and it is anything But normal.  Fate, not of my own choosing, has designed it that way.  **She** has made it an instinct, woven it into my being, to seek out this babe, and watch over him as he grows, not interfering yet, just observing.  Not interfering until the time is right.  

Deliberately concentrating to slow down how I naturally perceive time, which I find a total strain, I close in on the red globe of Planet Pla.. Vegeta.  Silly name.. sounds like a garden, but it has a ring to it which isn't as boring as it's previous nomenclature.. still much to weak a name for all I give the Saiyajin credit for, being one myself, although not of natural birth.  

I make a mental note of the small round pods leaving and entering the planets atmosphere.  I make a detour around the circumference and discover there is one base where the pods leave in groups of 5 at the most, and returned sometimes individually, some of the pods looking worse for wear and overused;  and another base where shiny new pods leave intermittently.  I zoom in for a closer look, assuming an invisible form for the time being.   There are symbols written on the roof of the base, a combination of the archaic Saiyajin language - in which I am Reasonably fluent in, and the standard interplanetary lingo.  I puzzle over the symbols and attempt the translation in my head, mulling the symbols around until I come up with something which sounds right, but still doesn't make a lot of sense to me.

**Birthing and Infant Dispatch Station**

I know it is a bother, but I feel I must ask the alien woman living in my head what this means.  She has thankfully left me to my own devices, but I am much too used to the macroscopic view of things... It seems to me she has her finger on the pulse of this particular planet, so I really have no other alternative.

~ Woman.. are you there? *mental prod* ~

In the void in my mind which she occupied, rhythmic snoring could be heard.

~ Hey!!!!! ~  *harder prod*

_Yuh.. sleeping... whah..?  Thought you want.. me leave you 'lone...._

~ I just need a quick answer to a question.  What is an Infant Dispatch Station?  Apart from the obvious. ~

_Ahh.. easy.  When Saiyajin are born - if they show a promising battle power, they will be brought up on this planet, training under whatever class their power designates them.  If they are too powerless for a class, they are sent to weak planets to destroy their inhabitants on the night of a full moon, when.. babies or not... well, you should know the rest.  They cause massive destruction no matter what their age is, if they are born with a meagre battle power, say of around 2, their transformation bumps it up to 2000, enough to easily rid it's inhabitants.  It saves the older soldiers the wasted efforts of such a simple and minimal task enabling them to concentrate their powers on foe which offer more resistance.  _

~ Ahh.. understand now.  Very resourceful. ~

_It was Frieza's idea.._

~ Frieza's here?? Where's the little thing hiding..? ~

_He's not hiding anywhere.. his ship is right above you, and to the right a bit._

I look where she has directed me to, and sure enough there is a small disk-shaped ship with insectoid legs situated around its circumference.

~ Androgynous-'boy' is doing quite well for himself isn't it? ~

_That's one of his fathers.._

~ So it's on the ship then? ~

_No.. Frieza is on the planet.  Like he was going to miss the birth of one of his greatest investments.. I've got a funny feeling he'll be hanging around for a little while... Isn't this fun, I'll get to see the whole plot unfold!  Good thing you woke me when you did!!  Or do you want me to go away again..._

~ Yes.. I mean.. well, you could translate things when I need it.  I don't know what your capable of yet so don't try anything with my body.. I don't trust you fully as it is.. ~

_Yeah yeah.. well.. I'll be in the background.. I won't interfere... (unless it's completely necessary).._

~ So.. the target of Your interest is where.. in here?  He's just been born hasn't he... ~

_No.. oh.. I forgot to mention, he won't be anywhere in this building.  You see that giant behemoth of architecture surrounded by those hills and fronting on to the fortified area with lots of little small buildings?  That's where he is._

~ He lives in there?  His parents must be important.  They aren't exactly slumming it are they? ~

_Oh.. his parents are important..._

~ Yeah? ~

_Yeah.  Only the King and Queen of their race, ho-hum.  Which reminds me, I've always wanted to know what happened to the queen.  Her existence, or rather lack thereof, is shrouded in mystery..._

~ So.. we're in fact dealing with royalty.  At least that should be interesting.. ~

_More than you'll ever believe..._ _lets go to the castle and see what's happening.._

~ We've missed the birth I know that much.. ~

_Yeah that's a little disappointing but hey we can check out the new Prince though, right?_

~ Isn't that what we're here for? ~

_Yeah!!! So lets go!!_

At a close-up castle is a gigantic white towering monolith, with one main spire piercing  the blood red sky, and 5 smaller ones spanning out from the centre in a star shape, connected by long straight corridors, and linked to each other by conjoining covered walkways surrounded by gardens and lush foliage of desert plants.   To me, I just pass it off as just a structure of inhabitancy, but judging from the assault of emotions of wonderment and awe, my counterpart does not think the same thing.

_Its... utterly.. breathtaking.  It radiates power... very phallic indeed, very regal, very Vegeta.._

~ I guess they're not into the ornate-ness of detailed architecture.. but it is a step up from the stone huts and caves they used to dwell in.. ~

_Well... races do evolve with time, although the Saiyajin have had a little assistance thanks to space travel.._

~ Quite.  Well, I think you've done enough admiring, its not getting the job done is it? ~ 

_Yes, you're right.  There's no time like the present._

I disengage myself from my perch on top of the main spire, and plummet towards the ground, landing gracefully before the unguarded arched entranceway.  Through this, there is a very formal-looking reception area.  There are doors intermittently at each side of this lobby, and 2 white heavy double doors, both of which sport the shiny red royal Vegeta coat of arms, must lead to the throne room.  Still in my invisible form, I pass through, un-noticed by the two surly-looking (normal) armoured guards.  

Sensing for the presence of life once inside these doors, I find none in what I deem to be a safe perimeter.  It seems the royal family and most of the castle staff are otherwise occupied for the moment  I choose to discard my invisibility and become solid, yet silent as a spectre.  To enhance my stealth, I shroud myself in a dark purple cloak with a deep cowl.  I guess even in this guise I would be noticeable, but it suits my stature in things.

*******    *******       ********       ********

Sorry about the abrupt ending but I had to finish it there…  you'll see why… maybe..


	10. Chapter 9: Sightseeing and Searching

**DISCLAIMER:  **Me:*Reads an e-mail that mysteriously ended up in her inbox*    
                        Deer Skitsofrenik Egplat:  I, Jen Fukkunager of Funomashun Ink, hairbye relink.. relinqw.. give you all rites to DBZ.  One condisshin, you must surrenda ur computer to me.  Luv, Jen.  fukkunagerj@funomashun-mail.com  
                        *Ponders* Hmmm…  lets see… DBZ.. and no computer.. or a computer and no DBZ…  *presses Reply and types*  Hey there, Mr. F!  I humbly and gratefully accept your offer.  Could you send your details forthwith, so I can offer you my second most prized possession in the universe?  I am truly happy this opportunity has arisen, you have no idea how long I've waited for--  
                       *Voice sounds on computer, a little muffled*  "Hey!!"   
                       Me:  *shocked, and a little freaked*  What the… who's that!!  
                       Another voice:  Mimmimive Owfook  
                       Me:  HUH?  
                       Voice: *louder* MINIMIVE OUFROOK!!  
                       Me:  *minimises Outlook, and wheels back suddenly in her swivel-chair, not believing what she is seeing.  All 7 Vegeta's on her desktop are looking at her with.. with… PUPPY DOG eyes(?!?!?!?)*  You.. you.. can talk??  I never knew…                         
                       Vegeta with a tail:  You never asked!  Don't give your computer away!!!  We like it here!!!  Don't give us to Mr F!!  *eyes start to water*  
                       Me: Don't look at me like that, go back to being angry or smirking!!!  
                       Majin Vegeta:  Only if you keep your computer so you can stare at us longingly while you're trying to get through the busy ISP signals!!  
                       Sexy-lookin SSJ Vegeta:  And we can glare/scowl/smirk back at you!  And can you get that ridiculous QuickTime icon off my nose?  
                       Me: You can see me as well???  Well that changes my perspective on things..  Hmm.. DBZ or computer with INTERACTIVE VEGETA DESKTOP Hmm…… *Presses Delete on the e-mail… *  Probably spam anyways…  Oh well, it still looks like I don't own DBZ… *shrugs then indulges in the strangest (and most enjoyable) conversation in her life*

  
**Authory thing:**  Sorrys about the really long disclaimers.. these things sometimes come to me like visions.  Anyways.. here is the next instalment of Voices!!!  ^_^

  
_Italics are my thoughts – internal and external.  In some cases towards the end of the chapter it looks like bigger text! *curses MS Word*  
_~ Squiggles are my characters thought-speech ~  
"Normal Talking Dialogue."  
And non-fancified text is my characters thoughts (non-conversational ones.. which can still be picked up by me if I'm listening in – annoying eh?)  and actions, etc.

            
                       

****

**Voices **(In One's Head) by `InSaNe`/Schizophrenic Eggplant

Part 3.  Chapter 9:  Sightseeing and Searching. 

_The outside of Castle Vegeta in all its wonderment is unexpectedly contrasted by the inside.  Huge friezes (no pun intended) depicting scenes of war and bloodshed adorn the circular walls of the castle interior.  There are so many - their short but impressive civilised history, beginning with the takeover of the planet, the plundering Oozaru crushing the out-powered Tsufurujin and all their technology;  a round, shimmering full moon; interactions with other races sparking their own technological revolution, for the technologically advanced races had exchanged their knowledge, skill and money for favours involving efficient mass-destruction of planets, and said destruction of planets. Frieza also appeared in these wall-sculptures, and the artwork told of when he had turned those 'favours' into an all-out planet-takeover business, which was also shown.   No doubt the artisan who had literally slaved for weeks on these works had been threatened (or maybe paid, depending on the tyrants mood) by Frieza to make him physically appear more imposing, for he was portrayed as bulkier and fear-inspiring than he actually was at first glance, yet like an evil big brother.  _

_The floor was stone, polished to smooth perfection, in two colours.  Most of it was a mottled grey in varying tones from light to darkest, almost black.   The other colour was red, blood red.  It was so smooth it looked like Real blood had pooled in a semi-circle around the doors we had just entered, ran in a straight line along the diameter of the entire room, collected in one round flawless circle in the centre underneath the high vaulted ceiling, and continued its trail right up to the be-staired podium on which sat the unoccupied thrones in all its glory, where it mirrored the semicircle of the entrance._

_King Vegeta's throne sat above everything on a 3 staired dais.  It was of a substantial size, carved out of the blackest wood, polished to a shine and cushioned with red velvet for comfort - (yes even the king of the Saiyajin, sitting for hours doing his kingly duties (including on-the-spot execution) would suffer from the occasional sore arse.. although he never told anyone, of course!!)  The Queens was to his right, and of the same design as the kings but on a smaller scale, and lower to the ground.  Above  them, suspended from the ceiling stretched  a wide cream banner, displaying the Vegeta coat of arms in red outlined with royal blue._

_Flanking either side of the thrones, were column-lined areas topped with a slab of stone, where the council and top-elites would sit at ceremonious occasions.  Seating was arranged for next weeks ceremony which would recognise Vegeta as the true Prince of Vegetasei and heir to the throne.  Above them, along the sloping ceiling, were intricate stained glass panels, which threw colours of all the spectrum in a mosaic on the mottled grey of the floor, courtesy of one of the two orange suns.  Strangely, with all this added light, the throne-room still felt cold and sterile._

(This bit is also in italics but FFN doesn't want to make it so)

The final thing worth noticing was that there was no staircase to access the higher levels.  There was no need, all Saiyajin can fly, and all business conducted between the royal council and delegates from other planets were carried out on the ground floor.  Instead of the staircase you'd expect in most castles, it has a giant round chute going right up the centre of the main spire like a self-powered elevator shaft.  It's entrance was sealed, but when motion sensors set around its circumference is activated, an immense round door opened up in a retracting spiral pattern.  The lower 3 floors of the  spire consisted of the levels where the castle staff were housed, the next were guest quarters, above that was a science lab and hospital wing, and who knows what was above that, it could be anything, but I will not find out yet for I have a busy schedule.  The doors are sealed shut and only open-able  by a code encrypted into a chip which, in the Kings case, was mostly likely hidden inside his royal pendant.  The material making up this chute, like the outside of the castle, was smooth and a lot like concrete, but probably very light, not to mention stron-

_(End italics)  
  
_

~ OK, enough of the sightseeing and history lesson, I have a job to do. ~ 

I touch down on the Treatment and Physical Science level, using logic to discern that this is where I need to be – where else is a baby birthed, and I assume that a baby holding as much status as a prince, the environment would persuade even the most harmless of microbes to take a vacation elsewhere.

Now to find something amidst all this that resembles a maternity suite.

~ A what? ~

_A place where a baby is born… but how will we locate him in such a large area?_

~ Easy. ~

I spread out my senses to try and locate the newborn.  I pick up numerous ki signatures all concentrated in one particular place situated in the hospital wing  I could sense panic, and hear raised voices.  One particular ki stands out – a stronger one, I can almost see it, a white burning flame searing through my head.  A painful beacon, but a beacon nonetheless.  Unmistakeably the one I am here to see.  Still concealed within my robe, looking very out of character under the halogen lamps and fluorescent lighting, I purposefully make my way along winding corridors, passing laboratories, healing facilities, offices and storage rooms.  Sometimes I get caught in a dead end and have to double back.  I don't know my way around here, there is probably an easier route, I am only- 

Following your nose… 

~ Hey!  I can't scent them yet!! ~

It's only an expression… 

-following my life-energy sensing abilities, and to a lesser extent, my eyes and ears.  At least I know approximately where they are, that's a first.  Because I am using the latter two senses as a secondary means, I fail to notice only a handful of staff are working (but that doesn't occur to me at the time), or the change in my surroundings, until it can no longer be ignored.  It doesn't look so drab and monotonous as the rest of the complex, more.. more..

Futuristic? 

What she said.  Luxurious too.  The corridors are wider and lined with carpet barely travelled upon, like it doesn't get used as much as the rest of the place.  I think I'm heading in the right direction, too immersed in my thoughts to notice much else, but I stop suddenly as I round a corner, and I hear a deep booming voice.

"Halt.  You may not pass.  Members of the Royal Family and specialised staff are prohibited only.  Anyone else, and we are ordered to execute on site."  Uh-oh… so much for being inconspicuous.


	11. Chapter 10: Future Shock

**DISCLAIMER:**  (Thanx to ChaoS for thinking this one up when I was having a brain-fart)  
                        When I become ruler of the universe, I'll own DBZ, and I'll make Gen Fukunaga grovel at my feet :).  But until that day, I do not own DBZ!

**Author bit:  **This is something that annoys me.  The italics USED to work but now they don't appear as efficiently anymore… Until I think of something else, go by these guidelines…  The bigger text is what the italics used to be.  And if it isn't, you can probably tell where the conversation is happening between my character and I, it's pretty straightforward.  I'll probably come up with an alternative for the cursed lack of italics in the next chapter… but what gets me is in one bit there IS italics… GRR _  
~ This is still my characters method of thought communication though! ~    
"And this is still normal dialogue"  
And this is still remains my characters point of view, until further notice.

**Voices **(In One's Head) by `InSaNe`/Schizophrenic Eggplant

**Part 3.  Chapter 10**:  Future Shock.

The guards stand either side of the door.  One is a giant of a man, at least twice my height with a mop of thick black hair perched atop his otherwise bald scalp, and a thin moustache framing his upper lip and stopping half way down his massive thick jaw.  His appearance is imposing, but looking in his eyes I see in those dark irises a two-dimensional quality.  He is used to obeying orders, it occupies the whole of his mind, for there is barely a spark of intelligence or free-thought at all.  He's going to be a tough one, alright…

I know his name… 

~ Sure you do.  But I'm certain that will not get him to let us through. ~ 

Perhaps..

The guard who spoke before in a deep baritone, denying me entrance, is slightly shorter than the other Saiyajin, and is also solid.  His mid-length spiky mane exudes dominance, and scars cover his face and arms indicating he is not a stranger to pain.  I have to think of something, and fast.  Very fast.  Both me and the voice from within form a small plan, and the majority of it – because of lack of time to come up with something – will have to be improvised, but at the same time it must be convincing.  I bob my head a little in respect to these royal guards, and address them.

"I am here to see the newborn prince."  Good for starters, gets the point across.  Both burly Saiyajin eye my cowled figure with suspicion.

"Are you a family member or a doctor?"  The shorter one asks me.  I can't lie at this point.

"No.  I am not." 

"Then you're not wanted here!" Booms the larger one, full of authority.  "Go away you little shrimp!"  Now is the time to act fast.  

"The King invited me personally."  The two of them find this humorous to say the least, and try as they might, they cannot stifle the stray chuckles.   

"You mean he didn't tell you?"  Any signs of smiling are soon erased.  They shake their heads.

"No, the King didn't give say anything about a stunted thing in a stupid robe.  I'm sure he wouldn't have missed that out if it were so."  The shorter one replies.  I speak with an air of mystery.

"Of course he wouldn't have told you, a powerful and respected King such as Vegeta would probably keep it a secret from even his personal guards that he invited one such as I."   The suspicion returns, and the shorter one even cocks an inquisitive eyebrow.

"Such as you?  What are you then!  I've never seen your like before, and I've been to a lot of places in my lifetime."  

Most of which probably exist no more… 

~ Now is not the time for your sarcastic humour! ~__

Who said I was joking..? 

"Yeah, who are you?" The taller moustached one mirrors his colleagues stance of folded arms and parted legs.  "Remove your hood, or suffer the consen.. conqu… die." 

Hahaha!  He's such a dope.

~ Maybe we can use that to our advantage. ~   

I place my black-gloved hands at the top of my hood, which is near the bottom of my face, and pull it up and over my head, revealing the visage I had decided to take on as part of the scheme.

"Uh.. Kumara, can we ask her to put it back on?  At least I think it's a her, its ugliness is turning my stomach."  The larger Saiyajin leans down to his partner and whispers in his ear, and for that particular Saiyajin to ever whisper borders on impossibility. "Why would the King ask for an old shrivelled up hag?"  

Now I had removed my hood, I could no longer use my normal voice that the muffled protection had distorted.  

Think of Frieza, but try not to sound Exactly like him… 

~ Quiet! ~

I can't allow myself to smile at that remark even, now I am un-hooded.  

"I can answer that, esteemed guards."  I speak, adding a trembling vibrato of an elder, with a hint of eccentricity.  "I am a psychic who has long forgotten her name, only known as Future-Diviner."

"Never heard o' ya!  Now its time to carry out my business." The semi-bald Saiyajin extends his muscular bear-like arm outwards and downwards, his palm almost in my face.  "Say goodbye!!"

~ Umm… didn't you say you knew his name?   This could come in handy right now!!! ~

You've got it! 

"I'm sure that King Vegeta would be none too pleased if you scorch the carpet, Nappa."  As if he had been physically punched by a relatively large force, the one called Nappa backs up against the wall.  

_Wow!!  Saiyajin must be extremely afraid of superstition!  Or maybe it's a Nappa thing._

~ Whatever it was, he's gotten over it fast. ~

Nappa has composed himself, on the outside at least.  The other guard, Kumara, looks me in a mixture of revulsion at my haggard, ancient appearance and awe at having apparently guessed his counterparts name from nothing.

"Can I pass now, please?  It is not only you who has business here.."   Kumara, to my surprise, nods and is about to release the bolt on the door, when an uncharacteristically shy voice is heard..

"Umm… Can you tell me my future first?  Just a little?" I turn my frail hunched body towards Nappa and cock my head sideways, deciding whether or not to bother.

~ Do you know enough about him to do this? ~ 

_Ha!  I'm gonna have to LEAVE stuff out.. there are some things I'm sure he would rather not know._

~ Super.  Well, I'll leave it up to you. ~ 

_OK.. Hey, how does old riddle-type poetry sound?_

~ Your choice, if you can pull it off. ~

It seems I DON'T have a choice.  Kumara draws his hand back from the bolt.

"You seem genuine enough, although I never wasted my time seeking psychics, much too busy with the job at hand back in those days.  Think of this as a little test."  

"Yeah, a test." Nappa parrots.

I relax slightly, only slightly mind, for being at such close quarters with these prime examples of Saiyajin males does creep me out a little, and I am really pushed for time and anxious to get on with my task.

"Certainly.  But be informed, take of my words what you will… forget them, or use them to mould your destiny it is all up to you.  I guarantee it will come to light."  I turn to Nappa first, and take a wheezing breath before I begin.

~* _Many of proud become so few,_

_Outliving most but then do not._

_To leave the life that you once knew,_

_Seeking a place with skies of blue,_

_A slave to him, he'll see you rot. *~ _

"I am done.  Am I permitted to be on my way?" I ask, turning to Kumara, trying my best to ignore Nappa's complaints behind me.

"That's it?  It didn't make any sense, just some short garbled poetry!!" It's not hard to tell that he's disappointed.  Still facing Kumara but looking at some point in the distance, I ask.

"What did you think I was going to do?  Tell you everything that will happen in your life?  It's not that easy, and where's the Challenge in knowing everything that's going to happen before it does?  And I thought you were smart, Nappa!"  Kumara eyes me with suspicion again, like I had given a terribly false reading just now, then catches the expression on my face and looks down at the floor, trying to hide his face and his shaking shoulders with his hair.  He regains control of himself before Nappa can figure out what's going on, and listens (although impatiently) to what I have to say.

"Honourable Kumara, however much I would like to divine your future, I must implore you that I am greatly needed."  I spin my lie further.  "You see, because the psychic vibes I am picking up from you tell me that you are a much more complex character, and unlike your giant friend, it would take a lot of time for me to squeeze the juice of destiny from such an introspective aura you radiate.  Time I am running short of.  I must perform rites and divination for mother and son.  I know you Saiyajin are not the most superstitious in the world, but I would not be here if my presence was not requested."  Kumara nods slowly, taking in what I had said, but made no move for the door.  It was if he was in his own little world, mulling over the comment about complex characters.  I use an element of a form of fear.

"Besides, from what I can feel from the very air, which tingles around me, your King's temper will be pushed to its limits today.  He is going to be stressed out beyond belief, do you reckon he would even stop to think before disposing of the guards who held up his secret guest who he had called on so urgently?"  I did not need to say more, as lightning quick, Kumara's fingers undid the bolt, and he almost shoved me through.  Even walking down the modern ornate hallway, I could still hear them.  

"Did you hear that Nappa?  A 'complex character'.  I get it now, because you're so simple and easy to read she only took a few minutes, and I was going to take much longer.  Hmm.. I wonder how much she would have said.  More than yours, I bet!!"  I shake my head as I continue on course.

No, Kumara, it would have been less.  "You're toast in five years" doesn't take long to come up with.

~ What??? ~ 

Never mind.. he dies in a meteor shower….. off planet.

~ Do you know him too? ~ 

Uhh.. no..

~ Then why- ~

Forget about it.  Can you hear the tone of those voices?  Something's not right, and I think I know what it is.  It concerns Vegeta not having a maternal figure around.  We've got to hurry!

~ It's not far to go now. ~

As I make my way to the royal birthing chamber, I ponder those 5 short lines of poetry which that woman in my head had spoken to Nappa.  I must have pondered too deeply…

It DOES make sense!!  The beauty of it is that the words will come to him as it may happen, no matter how hard, or how long he forgets it.. maybe a line, or only a word.  I know what lies ahead for him, well, in bits and pieces and as I mentioned before, he won't want to know it once he's heard it – no one likes to hear the bad stuff outright, so I disguise it in poetry so it 'sounds pretty'.

~ What bad stuff?  All I heard that was bad was just the rotting bit..  Does that have anything to do with his de- ~

He dies without honour!!!  Would anyone, let alone someone who prides themselves as a warrior, want to be told that!?!?!  

~ I wouldn't…. know… at least, not before you arrived on the scene.  I'm a total stranger to death.  It only happens to my creations, it's one of those things that happen to them, and not to me!   OK, I'll shut up now.  No, YOU shut up.. well at least until we get there.  I want a clear head, if you know what I mean, and I don't want you disturbing my train of- ~ 

_We're here__._


	12. Chapter 11: Curiosity is Satisfied

**DISCLAIMER:  **Its hard to think of one cos I'm going out soon.. but.. I don't own DBZ… I can't pay for lawyers.. I only own a computer.. an stereo..a car.. and a tv an vcr.  *remembers where she is..*  OH! Ha ha ha… I swapped them for this gold plated piece of lint.. that's right.. *produces a cardboard box from no-where and jumps in it an tries to look inconspicuous….*

**Author note:  **There is only one more chapter after this before I hit a small gap which I am working really hard on to fill, so updates will not be as quick.  But after that is about 9 chapters… which do get quite citrusy too (and I'm not going to tell you who it involves because I'm a bitch!   Needless to say it's a little out of the ordinary). So if you like what you're reading so far and want me to close the gap fast, egg me on!! Give me some encouragement which will lead me to sit in front of my computer for 10hrs straight and write a couple of chapters!!  ~_^  Hmph.  Not that I can't do that anyway..  Rating is up to R now because of graphic content.

Italics don't seem to be working so I've added :: 's to hopefully make things seem clearer.

So-  
:: My thought speech and comments ::  
~ My characters thought communication ~  
"Spoken dialogue"  
My characters thoughts and observations.

**Voices **(In One's Head by `InSaNe`/Schizophrenic Eggplant

Part 3.    Chapter 11:   Curiosity is Satisfied. 

Wearing my current and very peculiar guise of an aged something that used to be a female, still shrouded in my robe but unhooded now, I hobble with a liquid grace towards the door, and silently push it open.  I do not need too use too much stealth because there seems to be a hubbub coming from a room somewhere close.  Snatches of hurried sentences sweep about my ears.  
"…lost a lot of blood!…."

"…clamp doesn't go There, you imbecile!!…"

"…baby in neonates?"

"…Yes.  How's the…doing?"

"Not good… …impatient like both his…"

"…you see, he…."

"He WHAT?!?!…. that IS strong…"

"…too bad…"

I couldn't hear a whole lot of what was being said.  Either it is because deafness was included in this withered and gnarled facial skin I was in, but no…

:: There was nothing wrong with your hearing just before. .::

Or there was some serious soundproofing going on.  I walk past some sealed double doors, glancing inside as I walk onwards towards the muffled sound.

:: Go back. ::

I reverse the few steps I had made, and take a closer look.  Behind the round portholes in the doors a team of doctors and surgeons swarm, some are alien, no doubt experts in their field.  

:: Not expert enough… ::

Also I notice there are a lot of Saiyajin assistants helping them out.  Usually that would seem strange, because they were a warrior race, not a race of healers.  They have the regen tanks to do that.  These Saiyajin were old though, past their fighting prime, and years ago maybe they would have been put down – a more pleasant option than the madness of battle withdrawal, but it seems these old timers have some uses.  Whereas physically they may not be up the task any more, they know from experience how to deal with injury, and they can be trained up to be adequate dogsbodies, very rarely specialising.   

All are too busy with their tasks to notice me looking in like some rubbernecker at an accident.   Above them was a holographic projection of the patients vital signs.

:: They don't look good.  Blood pressure is dangerously low, so's the temperature, that's even below my races normal of 37 degrees (Celsius), and the pulse is a little erratic. ::

I strain my ears really hard to hear what's going on.

"Kotakk, can't we just put her in the regen tank?  It's worked before with similar injuries…"  A wizened Saiyajin asks.

"I've told you before, Spud, the internal damage is nigh on irreparable!  The liquid in the regen tank would just saturate the wounds and do more harm than good, and the blood leakage at that volume would encourage bacterial growth above normal standards.  We're doing our best with what we have to work with, and it's a hard time to reconstruct the major blood vessels as it is!  She's a tough customer though, I know that if it was any of my people, they'd be dead right now."   Answers the reptilian doctor, Kotakk.  A no-nonsense female Saiyajin with one eye takes slight offence with Kotakk's words.

"Of course she's tough!!  You think the King would have taken a snivelling low-class?"  Alarms start to wail, when the hologram flashes and beeps.

"She's going into system shock!" A short stout beaked creature barked.

"..elite of the elite females!.. Do you really thing this is going to stop her?" The Saiyajin woman continues her fired-up tirade.  

"The only thing that is going to stop her, is a lack in our teamwork.  Put a lid on it Sweet-pea." 

"SPUD!  Don't call me that around these foreigners!!"  She quietens down nonetheless, and continues her work, sucking up fluid with a small sterilised vacuum, while Kotakk works feverishly on the internal wounds and the beaked creature injects drugs into an IV line, to try and stabilise her condition.  One of the Saiyajin, when he sees the needle, turns a few shades paler and runs to the other end of the room, bringing down screens and knocking machinery off their tables.

"Aww Spinaki!! You said you could handle it!!!  Now is NOT the time to be showing weakness!!  It's only a needle!!"  Screams the female, identified only as 'Sweet-pea'.

"One of you go and hold him down before he upends anything important!" The beaked physician orders.

"Only one, Ptiresch?  In that frenzy it's going to take at least two!" Another assistant remarks.

"We can't spare two!  Just get him out of here and calm him down at least."  Is the brisk reply from Ptiresch.  More alarms start to go off as a large member of the team goes and deals with the panicked Spinaki.  My vision is still obstructed, but I can see that there is a struggle going on, on the table.  I see small feet wave frantically about, attached to tanned legs.  If the situation isn't so grave, I would think it a rather comical scene.  

"Where is he?" A faint voice wavers over the firm but calming ones.  "Where's the brat who did this to me!!!?"  Not so faint a voice now.  

"My Queen, I.."  Spud starts.

"'My Queen' nothing!!!  Bring the little shit here!  Now!"  The struggle increases as the injured monarch attempts to rip out her IV lines.  Spinaki is unlucky to witness that, and slumps to the floor in a very un-Saiyajin-like dead faint.  A/N:  His eyes are those anime whirly spirals

The assistant dumps his now unresisting body onto a trolley-bed and walks back to the action at a fast pace, ready to lend a hand to restrain the rabid Queen.   

"You must lay still, Queen Kapsikaa, or-"  Ptiresch is cut off.

"I'll do what the hells I want!!  Fine. You're not going to bring him to me?  I'll go get him myself!!!"  She again tries to wrench free with a burst of strength, but there are too many arms restraining her. 

"No, you're in a bad state as it is... just calm down." Ptiresch speaks to the queen in soothing tones, as much as a soothing tone through a beak would sound.   

'Sweat-Pea' fetches a warm cloth and dabs it along the queen's brow.  Kapsikaa looks up at Ptiresch, Kotakk and Spud, almost pleading with them.

"I only want to hold him.  I really am proud of being a mother to such a powerful little tyke.." She wheedles to them…  "It's not like I'm going to last the next day with my body this way." A small tear threatens to escape the corner of her eye, but is skilfully held in check.  At last, seeing she had relaxed and leaned her head back onto the pillow, Ptiresch motions to the team to lessen their hold on the queen, who isn't an elite for nothing.  Before the beaked physician is able to re-hook up her IV connection, the devious woman smirks quietly, then lightning fast, she leaps off the bed sending most of the team sprawling…

:: Like bowling pins. Steeeeeerike!!  Go Queenie!! Fight to the bitter end!!!  An end all the same. ::

…and lands on her bare feet, with her arms crossed over and firmly wrapped around her abdomen.  Not a sight for queasy stomachs.  

"Yes.. I want to hold the brat…and squeeze the life out of him.. slowly!"   Her face twists in a mask of pain and revenge as she starts towards the door, the very door I'm standing behind.  She sees my face behind the triple strength Perspex porthole and looks at me with a mixed expression of horror – although technically speaking, she is the more malformed out of us two, and anger – that an impostor must have broken through or bribed the guards to sneak a peek at her weakened condition.   Then sudden disbelief as I decided to flicker to my normal form, just for a few seconds, and then back.  She has to hold herself back from pointing, for she is using both her arms to hold herself together, literally.

:: Now in full view to me, Queen Kapsikaa of Vegetasei was powerfully and nobly beautiful.  Small, and compact, but solidly built.  Her thick midnight hair cascaded, somewhat dishevelled, around her shoulders.  Her torso and midsection though, was far from pretty.  It was a righteous mess, to put it lightly.  Although she was hugging  herself tightly, blood poured freely from between her legs and leaked out of the numerous gouges in her un-sutured wound.  The wound itself is intriguing, like someone had snuck a small packet of C4 into her uterus and set off the charges.  When she saw us and almost went to point, a few flaps fell loose, spilling even more crimson blood, and a loop of intestine dangled precariously from one of the most open parts, dripping a mucous yellow-brown sludge from the exposed sac.  Her face screwed up in a grimace of anger and pain, showing teeth stained red with blood she had coughed up, as she shuffled slowly towards the door.  The staff assigned to treat her picked themselves off the ground they had been shoved into previously, and just stood there awestruck as this very-near-death, now fatally wounded woman, was up and walking around.  The Saiyajin knew better though, they were aware of their races constitution, as well as their limits.  There was nothing they could do, their queen had signed her own death warrant by refusing to accept any more treatment, so they let her have these last few moments without interference, and die the way they were used to – on their feet and screaming, not on their back like a blasted invalid! :: 

"You!!!  Get my son now or I'll… I'll… where.." Before she could draw attention to me I disappear, and a good thing too, because a squalling starts up, like the one which called me here in the first place.  

"Is that him?  Is that my boy..??  Where's the scalpel!!! I'm going to hack his tail off as punishment for disfiguring me!"  Behind her, Spud, 'Sweet-pea', and the Saiyajin contingent of the team hiss collectively.  Spinaki, who had recovered consciousness and was just about to sit up and get off the trolley-bed, hears the queens words and limply slams back down for round two of horizontal limbo, his eyes rolling up in his skull A/N:  And going all whirly again.

"I hardly think that's necessary," mumbles 'Sweet-Pea'.  "I'll go.. umm… see to the newborn, he's making quite a ruckus." There was flashing lights coming from behind the blinds in the next room.  She opens the double doors leading into the corridor, muttering to herself.

"Really, there is no end to peoples insanity when they're delirious…"

:: Or when they start having conversations with themselves… ::

~ Does that make ME insane then huh? ~ 

:: Of course it does!! ::

~ You think she's got a voice in her head too?  Apart from those other things.. which are still her not something else… like what you are? ~  There is a brief silence while we both ponder that…

:: Naaaaaah!! ::

~ No?   Ooh look, Kapsikaa's not coming to visit us anymore… ~

:: My counterpart was right, instead, she was moving over to the window, which was still covered in blinds on the other side.  Her tail hung limply downwards, the tip stained red from being dragged along the bloody floor.  It twitched a little in annoyance as she banged her head a couple of times on the Perspex, impervious to the fact that each time she jarred her body with the impact, thick clotted blood and disconnected flesh splattered on the floor with a plopping sound, and the string of intestine bulged out like a glistening rope.  'Sweet-Pea' sent the blinds up quickly, adding more artificial light to the room and bathing the already-sickly looking queen in its yellow-white luminance.  Her face fought a battle of expressions between joy and deep hatred.  For his life, she must give up her own.  The babe lying in the crib, screaming his pint-sized lungs out, must have reminded her of a small version of his father.  She wheezed out a sigh, coating the Perspex in a small spray of blood and spume, then snorted, increasing the aerosol effect coming from her mouth, as 'Sweet-Pea' plucked the newborn prince out of the atmospherically controlled crib, and held him over her shoulder and stroked him, trying to lessen the crying.  She then turned around, her back facing towards the dying queen, as if allowing her a moment of privacy.  The baby was now facing his mother, a red tomato face screwed up in a brain-exploding, eardrum-piercing wailing session.  Until he opened his eyes, and the waterworks shut off instantly.  Queen Kapsikaa saw at her son properly for the first time, and although she was trying to still be angry over what had happened, she couldn't help but look at him through a mothers eyes, instead of an infanticidal mothers eyes.  She almost smiled as she saw the prince force himself to focus his eyes on her, regarding her with a serious, sombre expression before smiling slightly, mimicking that of his mothers which had stolen onto her lips without her knowing.

"Vegeta… you bastard.." She rasps out with as much affection as she is capable of.  Whether she meant it for the infant or his father, no-one would ever know.  With that said, and past the point of caring anymore, she brought her arms up to the window and pressed her hands against its warm surface.  With their bonds released, and sutures torn, her innards came crashing down around her ankles in a massive and very audible gushing overspill out of her abdominal cavity.  Blood trickled down the corners of her still-smiling mouth, generously coating the Perspex when ejected in a forceful retch.  Through the new red tint, she saw her son for the last time, sinking slowly from her view as her legs collapsed from under her. 

Her hands remained on the window, until they could stay there no longer and slid down with a 'screee', leaving a trail of vermilion finger and handprints down the once-transparent material, coming to rest beside her motionless body.  There is an uncomfortable silence..  ::

"My Queen!!!" 

"Queen Kapsikaa!"  The five Saiyajin comprising the treatment team rush to her side, and knowing there is now nothing they can do, stand around her while the non-Saiyajin contingent, although working on Vegetasei currently, do not know the rites of the natives, for all they knew the Saiyajin may roast their dead on an open fire!   So they awkwardly clean up what they can, place instruments in the sterilisers, and mop up some of the blood and other internal components, without going too close to the corpse.  'Sweet Pea' lays the baby prince back in the crib and closes the lid.  As soon as she leaves the crying starts up again, but there is no one to tend to him now.  It grows more intense as this little prince is on his own, the bawling mounts to screaming, and flashes of light and energy shakes the crib, threatening to break the shell.  

:: Gah.. babies…  ::

~ You think he needs some attention or something? ~ 

:: I know as much about babies as you do about individual death.. perhaps even less now because of what you've seen in the past hour… but I guess it can't hurt. ::

~ I can sense another presence too.  Away from here but still in the same complex.  You think it's..? ~

:: We shall find out soon enough.  I want to get a close up look at this prince first.  My curiosity over his mothers demise has been satisfied.  Who would believe that even so small, he blasted his way out?  Amazing! ::

Reverting once again to invisibility and my normal form, I quietly slip into the door without alerting the mourning party and clean-up crew in the process, and glide smoothly over to the hi-tech crib and release the lid, wincing as the slightly pressurised hiss sounds loud enough to rouse the recently dead.   I dare not pick him up, because if anyone in the next room saw a baby floating in mid-air, they'd become highly suspicious.  However, I do reach down and touch the newborns hair.  It is deceptively soft, for such gravity-defying fibres.  I smooth back the fringe covering his hot red forehead.  As soon as he feels the contact, he opens his eyes again, and the crying becomes stifled sobs, unlike before when it had stopped with eerie suddenness, and he again endeavours to focus his eyes, squinting straight at me, and through me at the same time.   As I'm leaning over him, he grabs a handful of my purple/black hair in his fist, and.. and studies it!

:: He can see us? ::

~ Impossible!   Were you expecting this, did you know? ~

:: No… I didn't know it would be like this… ::

I am unprepared for his next move, and I cannot help but utter a sharp yell as he pulls at my hair with surprising strength for a baby barely half a day old.   He lets out a loud cackling gurgle of laughter and awards me a with a gummy smile.

:: Not THAT surprising is it?  Barely a mild sting compared to what he did to his mother. ::

~ I'm not concerned with that now.  We've got an audience.  ~ 

Alerted by the noise, all faces were now pressed against the window, staring in bewilderment as they observe the previously inconsolable new prince and heir to the throne of Vegetasei giggling and waving his arms and legs around as it trying to reach something.

"I'm 100% certain I closed the lid on that thing, I'm positi-" 'Sweet Pea' half said to herself, before her and the others jaws dropped as they saw the prince's tail corkscrew around something.

~ My arm!! ~

:: That's gonna look weird to them.  OK, I think this is where we make an exit. ::

"Be back soon," I whisper to the small one, "Don't kill anyone else while I'm away, huh!" And before he can grab any more of my person, close the lid and leave him behind.  On my way out the door, I unintentionally pass through 'Sweet Pea', who was still confused about the lid being open, then when she sees the lid closed again, she pauses at the door and leans her head on it tiredly.  She shivers as my presence floats through her, and mutters something about being chilled.

:: Speaking of presences, didn't you say you felt one before? ::


	13. Chapter 12: Stubborn Stains and HardtoR...

**DISCLAIMER:**  Imbecile:  HAHAHA You don't own DBZ and this chapter is so crap I'm putting it in my hall of shame, and you will be shunned from the Fan Fiction world      because I know the right people in the right places and you'll be forever in FFN purgatory!!!!!  Bwahahaha!!!  
                        Me: *shrugs* OK OK, you got me on the owning DBZ thing sure…  but as for the rest of your inane nattering, say, you got 20 cents?  
                        Imbecile:  Uh… yeah, but what has that got to do with your foul craptastic chapter?  
                        Me:  *deadpan expression*  Nothing really, but you can use that 20 cents to go phone someone who gives a shit what you think!!!! -_-

**Authory writey bit:  **Long time no see, my faithful(!?) readers.  After writing and rewriting and revising this chapter, I am as happy about it as I can get.  It's hard when you come up against a character such as the one in this chapter, who isn't around in DBZ a lot, well not enough to get a decent fix on his character and mannerisms, hardly any detail… so I sorta added a bit of flesh, and kept him in char as much as I can (using a LOT of guess-work of course). I hope this is believable enough for all yous out in FanFiction land, if it sounds way too far fetched, open your mind a little, then you might see.  Some other news, good and bad.  Bad – is that I have a job now, so will be writing less often, and good because I am STILL writing when I can, and I nearly have that gap closed and onto a further nine chapters, which include some more out-of-it stuff, and the occasional goodness of a sour yellow citrus fruit, so patience!  (not that you've been complaining too much anyways…. -_-) 

**Author thing 2:**  What USED to be lovely, simple italics, is now :: These little dot things ::  and they mean the bits where I use thought speech in conversation or just musing to myself so you can read what I'm thinking at the time.  Mind-candy kinda visualising stuff. -_o ß spazz.  ~ These squiggly things are when my character speaks to me with her mind ~!!!!   "These are normal speech dialogue thingys!!!"  And normal text are my characters thoughts and she thinks a lot!!!

****

**Voices **(In One's Head by `InSaNe`/Schizophrenic Eggplant

Part 3.  Chapter 12:  Stubborn Stains and Hard-to-Reach Places. 

~ I was absolutely certain it was here!   Damn these people!!!  Can't they keep still? ~ 

::That's a negative. ::  

~ I say we don't bother with it.  It would be a waste of time to go on a wild goose chase. ~

::You could always go and meditate… :: 

~ I don't think I'd be able to concentrate.  I've got this uneasy feeling I can't seem to shed. ~

:: Go with your instincts then.. what do they tell you? :: 

~ They tell me to find the source of that presence… It felt so… haunted. ~

:: Haunted?  Hmm.. I can think of a couple of candidates straight away, but I'm not going to name names until we see them.  And you're sure they're not in this part of the castle any more? ::

~ Very sure. ~

:: Keep your senses sharp then, and see if you can pick it up. ::

Taking a short cut out a window at the very edge of the level, I shoot straight up the length of the main spire, coming to rest at the very top, where I had come when I first saw it.

:: Ack.. I hate heights… but this is OK because you can fly.  You think you'll be able to track it better from here? ::

~ I think so.  Plus, I like it up here.  Maybe I will meditate.  I feel a little better now I'm not cooped up in that labyrinthine place. ~ 

The top of the spire is rounded, and quite broad, so I am able to sit upon it, and my cloak blends in with the red/purple-tinged dusky sky as it flaps behind me.  I close my eyes and still see everything that is in front of me.  Lights from dwellings, the occasional flare up of ki, and streaks of light like small comets power across the skies.  Above all that, not looking at all like a star, hovers a stationary circle-shape, with small pinpoints of light ringed around its circumference.

Frieza's.. ship…  A very sleepy voice drawls faintly in my mind, and for the moment I am left alone.  In my vision, I have no control of time as it speeds up in front of me.  The sky goes from red to black rapidly, the lights in the houses go on and off, and the streaks turn into flickers, faster and faster, days passing like seconds, strobing between night and day.   Once it reaches a peak the speed decreases, until it seems like it never happened.  I look up at the ship again.  Around it, the sky is littered by a crowd of tiny figures in the armour denoting they are under Frieza's service, and they are not Saiyajin.   A Very uneasy feeling knocks my concentration, and I see the vision waver just as I zoom in.  My subconscious is bombarded by a shock of concentrated anger and frustration coming from below my position.  My eyes flick open and out of my meditative state and I leap to my feet in a fighting stance.  For a second there I thought I had become visible and someone had spotted me.  I feel very disoriented time-wise because that vision was so vivid, giving me the impression of years passing without me being able to monitor it.  I re-assure myself it was just a mare of some sort.  But a time-mare?  And why was it interrupted so abruptly?  I interrogate my number one suspect. 

~ Did You happen to do that? ~

:: No, but I did feel it.  Is it the same type of vibe you got earlier? ::

~ Yes and no, it definitely wasn't haunted this time.  That was a violent burst of rage.  And this time I think I'm on to it. ~

:: Where is the location? :: 

~ In the upper levels. ~ 

:: Still… I can think of a couple of candidates… maybe narrow it down to one, possibly.  But I wouldn't want to make it easy for you.. ::

~ I had a vision too.  Vivid as anything.  A whole lot of Frieza's men gathered around the 'front' of his ship. ~

:: Oh my… I must've been…  ::

~ What?  You know, don't you!  What that was all about! ~ 

:: I cannot say.  You have things to do, you said so yourself…  ::

~ We will discuss it later then. ~

:: Maybe. ::

I become a nothing, as I slip beneath the sleek surface material of the castle and the reinforcing structures, then some tiles I meet some resistance with, like they're made of a very dense composite.   I squeeze myself through them and land with a thud on those same tiles, also part of the floor.   Its lucky I landed there, for about a foot next to me is one of the many resistance training machines, and I wouldn't have liked to land on that particular one.  It looks more like a torture device than training equipment. 

~ It's VERY close. ~ 

:: On this level? ::

~ Yes. ~

Part of me is glad that as the spire goes up, it narrows, so this level has a lot less area to cover than the Treatment and Physical Science level.

A rumbling shakes the whole top level, and the ones below it, no doubt.  

:: EARTHQUAKE!!! ::

~ I don't think it was. ~ 

Earthquakes don't produce light, and a large quantity of dust in one spot, and they most definitely don't roar in a male voice.  Cautiously I move to the arched doorway and peer into the next room.  I can't see anything for the dust, but I hear a small cough, and follow the noise with my eyes, to see a silhouette in the thick of it.  It is huge, well over 6 ft in height.

:: That HAS to be a trick of the light.  Oh well, that's narrowed the candidates down to one.  The other was under half as tall. ::

~ So, with the process of elimination, what is your conclusion?  Hang on don't tell me.   You thought it was Frieza?  And the other?  So obvious!  Who else would be in this part of the castle!  It doesn't take a scientist to figure out who it is.  Hmmm could it be.. King Vegeta?! ~ 

"Who's there!  Show yourself!!!"  A deep authoritative voice commands.

:: Hmm could it be… that you spoke his name out loud?  It's a good thing there's dust about and you're invisible!!! ::

I can't think of anything to say.  And I certainly am not going to show myself, not when I have the advantage of being unseen, not when the dust is settling.

"Kapsikaa?  Is that you?" Then as an afterthought, "It has to be, Frieza would never address me as King."

I cannot answer.  But I know I have to at some stage.

:: I'll do it. ::

~ No you won't!!  I will do it. ~

"Kapsikaa, I am not in the mood for games!!  Shouldn't you be squeezing out the brat by now instead of sneaking around my private chambers!?"  His voice now booms with impatience.

"Um… I-I'm neither Kapsikaa or Frieza…" I begin.

:: I am the fusion between the two, the terrible Kapsieza!!  Or is that Frisikaa? ::

~ SHUT UP!!!! ~   Damn her.  I think I said that out loud too.

"DON'T TELL ME TO SHUT UP YOU IMPOSING WENCH!!" Now a roar, and another blast fired in the direction where he thought the voice had come from, and that blast had whizzed by TOO close.

"Next shot won't be a warning!"  The King bellows.

:: THAT was a warning shot?? ::

~ Shh!!  I have to come up with something… ~

"I am… a.. a.. mess..enger.  Yes, a messenger."  The last part of that sentence is said firmly.

"Well then, 'messenger', why can't I see you?"  Asks the gruff King of the Saiyajin.

"Maybe because it's a little dusty.." I answer truthfully, with no hint of jest.

"SILENCE!!!" King Vegeta uses his ki to blow the remainder of the debris away, revealing him in his glory.

:: The silhouette was NOT distorted as I had thought, he really IS that tall.  His eyes carry a spark of intelligence, his back is ramrod straight, and his chin is held upwards, decorated with a well-trimmed goatee and a moustache.  The armour of his station adorns him – armour of the design of Frieza's employees – but  with the Vegeta coat-of arms on the left breast-plate – and a red cape flows behind him like a blood red sail.  Auburn hair rages in a flame above a steep widow's peak.  This man could send a whole army forth with a flick of his hand, and kill an army with the very same action.  This is the individual who had led the Saiyajin against the Tsufurujin those 2 years ago – a true warrior and leader.   

A permanent frown creases his brow, and he looks quite vexed. 

He's under a lot of stress.  And now the prince has been born it's going to get steadily worse. ::

"The dust has settled.  I do not see you.  Have you left?  A wise move, if you have done so already."

"No, Lord King.  I am still here."  Highly alert, the king shifts his head quickly this way and that, and sniffs the air, flaring his nostrils.

"Are you playing tricks on me?  You cannot be invisible." He snorts the last word out as if it was completely unbelievable, not just to him, but to his whole race.

"I will not lie to you, I am invisible."  I plainly say.  King Vegeta expels a dry "HA!", devoid of any humour.  That's it!  He's not the only one stuck up and aloof.  I can do the very same, I should not be frightened of him;  he's taller, so what.  I can always levitate.  Sometimes stuck in this body, with another split side of me who isn't really me, but I am a part of, I occasionally forget what I truly am.  Maybe I WON'T stay invisible after all.  We'll just have to see.

"I am a Special messenger, Vegeta.  One who brings tidings of death.  The queen's death to be precise."   I hope that reaches through that skull of his.

"I already know.  Don't play me for a fool.  If anything you must be one of Frieza's spies, considering he took pleasure in informing me of that recent incident.  Now be gone!!"  Who is he to order me about?  My own patience is wearing thin, and the amicable respect I am forcing out from every pore is starting to wane.

"No.  I am NOT a spy for that detestable parasite Frieza!  Did he tell you HOW Kapsikaa died?  Did he?  Was he there?  No, he was not, most likely he heard it on a gossip circuit.  And where were you, exactly?  I didn't see You there."  The king crosses his arms across his broad chest.

"Hmph.  I had more pressing matters to attend to.  None of which concern you.  And do not speak of Frieza that way.  Who knows who he's got sneaking around here, and I do not wish to be out of his favour."  Oh, he's pushing me.

"I can call Frieza what the hells I want to! I can call him a.. a…"

:: A croaky old grandma? ::

"A croaky old grandma if I want!"  King Vegeta's eye's bulge out of his sockets at that, and his face turns red.

"You dare speak of Frieza that way?  Oh of course, being invisible and hiding away would be an advantage, where you could call him whatever you want.  I call it cowardice.  Just what you're showing now, to me.  You're afraid."   POW!!  That knocks me for a six.  I've had enough.  Still unseen, I face him, and then appear slowly, controlling my materialisation, to prove to him that it is not a trick.  Black/purple hair wavers atop my head as if pushed from an updraft.  My expression mirrors the kings – anger and outrage.

"No, I am not afraid.  I had decided you didn't need to know what I look like, but you are too pigheaded to just let it lie.  You had to push me, and you probably enjoyed it too.  I am not here for any purpose concerning you.  Your son, however is a different story.  He is what brought me here, for reasons that are my own.  Did you know it was he who killed the queen?  Too impatient to come out the normal way so he blasted her insides to the ends of the universe.   You better watch it Kingy, I don't doubt that at some stage he'll be wanting to kill off his old man too, before his time."  

The king pauses.   A small inkling of a smile graces his dark features.

"My son did that?  Impressive.  It's a shame about Kapsikaa, but these things happen.  I'll schedule her funeral in with the boy's Ceremony of Recognition next week."  

:: He's so offhand!  No crying and wailing or anything to that effect!  If only my people could handle things so efficiently!  The Saiyajin truly are an enigma. ::

King Vegeta looks at me properly, now that he can see me.  I meet his gaze and do not break eye-contact.

"My guards mentioned something about an old bitch wearing a cloak similar to yours.  What did you do, fight her for it?" 

"Perha-"

"I am still deciding whether I should kill her for lying and using a ruse involving my name to gain entrance, but managing to convince my guards isn't an easy task, considering our kill first ask questions later policy we are all renowned for.  They also mentioned her name was Future.. something."

"Future Diviner."  I confirm the name I had made up earlier, and then realise my mistake.

"And how do you know this, hmmm?"  He gives me an expectant look, like he's piecing a puzzle together.  I do not hesitate.  I want him to know, once and for all, that he isn't dealing with just any ordinary thing that he can blast away with his hand when he tires of them.   I move my gloved hands over my face from chin to forehead, and once again I wear the visage of the ancient female with wispy silver hair.   

"This, is how I know." I rasp.  The king becomes a little flabbergasted.

"Sorcery!!  Magic!!!"  He points at me with accusation in his voice.  "Disgusting!!!  Get rid of it immediately!!" I comply, satisfied that he knows just that extra about me.  Now, should I or should I not reveal all?

:: Could I talk to him just for a bit..? :: 

I sigh in a resigned fashion.

~ You think you can get through to him? ~

:: No harm in trying new tactics. ::

I groan.  One never knows what she's got up her sleeve.  Sometimes it's cunning, sometimes it's plain bizarre.

~ You can only speak though, I have full use of my body still. ~

:: I can live with that, but you'll have to play along. ::

"Whew!!!  Is it me or has the air conditioner broken?"  I am instructed by my inner voice to fan a hand in front of my face dramatically, before removing my cloak that I casually drape over a piece of training equipment, and wait for the whole visual effect to work.  I'm somewhat uncomfortable under his roving eyes, and I do my best not to flinch, or punch his lights out. 

:: A lot of what I am wearing is made from black leather, except for my armour and body cover.  My gloves reach halfway up my forearms, and taper out from the wrist.  On my feet are steel-capped boots similar to the Doc Marten's I normally posses, 20 hole jobs, only differing slightly in that they are not 1 ½  sizes too big for me, and they are a lot more manoeuvrable.  The rest of my body is encased in a thin but very durable rubber-like material, that holds everything in place, and allows optimum movement.  The downside is it squeaks a bit when I move  – that's another reason why I often wear the heavy cloak.  

I don't wear the rubber getup when training (preferring good old spandex for that), but I do for every other occasion, for it appears a little intimidating, outlandish, and just plain distracting. In the right amount of light, this material shows contrast between the deepest black and light grey sheen, which accentuates every detail on my well-muscled frame down to the slightly corded fibres, especially those on my shoulders, biceps, quads, hamstrings, and to a lesser extent my buttocks and calves.  

The protective armour plate I wear out of habit is made of many layers tightly compacted with a fibrous compound that is stronger than any metal or alloy found on the planet I inhabit.  It protects my chest, stomach and back from injury, plus it looks pretty stylish when polished to a sheen.  Rather than being modelled on the typical 'Saiyajin and Frieza-type' armour, it has a very 'Roman Centurion' look to it, as it moulds itself to my torso. ::

~ Just what are you trying to - ~

:: Relax, I'm not trying to seduce him, if that's what you think.  That would be ummm… wrong.  I'm just trying to ease the tension. ::

~ Why don't I believe you? ~ 

I take lazy strides to a switch, which I curiously flick.  A screen made to look like part of the outside wall slides up, revealing a tinted window, through which I can survey  what I could see beforehand from my little perch.  The night sky, the flickering ones from the dwellings in the distance, and the ki-trails across the sky, and the larger ones that I assume are the spherical pods used to transport individuals to unsuspecting planets.  I cannot see Frieza's ship, though, not at this angle.

"You're Saiyajin?" I turn my head at the question.  Ahh.. he must have spied my animate furry belt.

"I commend your observation skills, my King."  I smile.  __

_:: This doesn't guarantee immunity.  Vegeta is known to kill those of his own species. ::_

I return from the window and seat myself on one of the cushioned training machines, next to one which has a padded bench, and motion for the proud king to sit.  He declines.

"I will not lower myself to sit with traitorous filth." He states firmly.  "It is plain to see that you are not like us, you wear the armour of some sort of renegade!"

"Look, don't you know how to relax!?!  I am not a traitor I'm not here to kill you, I am here to offer you counsel, although, judging by your character, you would refuse that too."

"Now who's using their skills of observation.  You would be correct."  Damn, he's so smarmy, not to mention edgy.  The queen is better off dead rather than have to deal with him, but, I have to admit, it's going to be a challenge to convince him to listen.

I get up off the seat and go to walk out of the room, looking straight ahead.  The rubber squeaks audibly in the silence with every shift my legs and body make stepping over the debris.

"Well, I can see I wasted my time.  Seems my instinct was somewhere off when I felt those incredibly haunted vibes.  Are you SURE nothings weighing on your mind, Vegeta?"  I deliberately pause at the exit.  My ears pick up some grumbling, as if the mighty king is fighting some internal battle.

"No.  Nothing at all." Is his final answer.

"So be it." I continue on my path out the door.  

~ You forgot the.. ~

About 20 paces down from the centre chute I hear something that stops me in my tracks.

"Hey!!" And some strange grunts.  "Get this moth-eaten.. Nggg.. Thing out of… Rrrrgh!  My sight!"  

~..cloak ~

_:: I know. ::_

I quickly about-face, and re-enter the room, where a fuming, red-faced King is struggling to pick up my cloak from where I had left it.  I assume a charade of apology for my temporary absentmindedness.  

"Ah.. heh heh.  I thought I'd forgotten something!  What's wrong?  Are you having trouble with it?"  I ask, trying to suppress the mother of all smirks.

"No.. no… I don't…. nkkkgh.. need help." A flame of white starts to surround his body.  "Nearly..rgggk… got it!.. AHA!" Triumphantly, the king wrests the stubborn cloak from its resting place, but the pulling motion he had utilised on it carries him backwards, and I patiently fold my arms as he fights for balance.  He does a great job of holding his own, but not for long as the cloak becomes too much and lands on top of him, pinning him on the ground.  I look down at him nonchalantly.

"Alright down there?"  A growl is his reply, and my instant vaporisation if looks could kill.  That's one nasty glare.

"You look comfortable, should I send for a pillow?"  A vein pulses on his sweaty forehead, and his next growl increases in volume.   It's also clear to me that he's powering up to try and rid himself of the weighty load on top of him.  He just might succeed.  He's managed to move it a few millimetres, but not quite enough for him to breathe properly.

"You reeeeeeally want to kill me now, don't you?" He nods as vigorously as he can.  "Thought so.  But, here's a reality check.  You can't kill me.  Oh, you can try, but it won't work."  I wink as I kneel down by the king's head and begin to massage his temples.  

"I didn't want to humiliate you like this, but, I only wanted you to listen, and you're such a stubborn bastard that I had exhausted my normal means, and resorted to using force.  I take it you aren't a stranger to also using this tactic."  His face grows a deeper shade of burgundy, almost purple.

"I wouldn't be here if I hadn't felt such strong pangs of.. worry from you.  You cover it up nicely too.  Lets see here, it's something concerning Frieza.. and your br… son.   Am I right?" I don't wait for any sign of response while I continue my tirade.

"Frieza has a great interest in him.  Otherwise, why would he be hanging around a bunch of 'monkey's as he likes to call us.  Ultimately, there is no cause trying to reason with an insane little warlord such as he.  I assume you've already tried, yes?"  I feel the kings head nod beneath my hands.

"It's a good opportunity for him to join the ranks of Frieza's soldiers.  It'll keep him out of trouble, as well as satisfying the lust for fighting that all Saiyajin share.  I have a small feeling that you don't trust Frieza, so how about sending Nappa or Kumara along with him, just to keep an eye on things?  See? Everything can be ironed out, it's not as bad as it sounds, really.  Plus, you'll still be in favour with Frieza, which will no doubt ease the squirming in your guts.  So don't stress so much, Kingy!  I'm picking that if you make the deal with Frieza, he'll be out of your hair for a few years, off in space somewhere, doing what he.. um.. does, until the prince is old enough to train."  Having said my piece, I pick the cloak up with ease, and draw it around me.  The king gulps in air like a fish, restoring a normal pallor to his face.  I feel my own face contort into a forced grin, and my voice transformed into a sickly sweet tone, as King Vegeta gets to his feet.

"So, I'll be seeing you at the Ceremony next week!  Wouldn't miss it for the world, since I'll be playing a part in it, and if you or your men dare interrupt, I'll throw this.."  I motion to the safe, warm, but potentially deadly item of clothing, "and what would all your elites and councillors and well-wishers think if they saw their powerful king defeated by a simple garment?  If I were you I'd keep an eye out on Frieza, rather than be concerned with my role.  I'll be certain to add pomp and grandeur, and nothing but the utmost respect during this time, and I will have my old-lady face hidden.  I assure you I will make it brief, and then disappear, so to speak.  Everything's sorted then!  Great!!  I'll be seeing you!"  I briskly go to take my leave.

"Wait!  I didn't give you permission to leave."  I sigh, I guess I'll let him have this one.  I obey his 'order'.

"You wanted something, my King?"  I turn around and casually lean on the arched doorway.

"What did you have in that cloak, lead bricks?  It was very heavy, whatever it was." I shake my head.

"Not lead, katcheen.   It's only the strongest and most dense metal in the universe.  My cloak is made of fabric with fibres like tiny wires of katcheen woven into it.   Effective don't you think?  Good for resistance training on the move, weighted clothing.  Also good as a weapon, unless the opponent can bear such a weight, but that hasn't happened as yet.  Now, I'd better be on my way."  Again, I don't wait until he grants me permission to leave, I don't even give him time to speak.  I just vanish and leap upwards, onto my perch again.  

_:: I don't think we made a friend there… ::_

~ That wasn't the plan was it? ~ 

_:: Not to worry, he'll only see us one more time in his life…  Ooh you want to hear the little future poem thing I thought up for our kingly 'acquaintance'? ::_

~ Alright… and THEN it's time for a little break.  I'm sitting up here for a week, uninterrupted! ~

_:: I'm sure I'd find that terribly exciting.. not.  I've got some stuff to do, but  I'll be here to read the princes future.. in a cryptic little verse of course, so tangled up and misconstrued that no one will pick it up!  The one I have for the King is a tad more decipherable.  Here goes:_

_  
~* The reign of flame  
smothered by ice,  
Won't be the same  
no matter the price.  
In quarter score,  
You'll hit the floor,  
And know no more. *~ ::_

**Next Chapter:**  Five years have passed and my character looks back on some of the things that happened.  The time is nigh for YOU KNOW WHAT that happens to YOU KNOW WHERE courtesy of YOU KNOW WHO (an no its not Voldemort) :P_  
  
_


	14. Chapter 13: Dawn of Darkness

**DISCLAIMER:  **I have less than 20 minutes to come up with this… and since it's not a huge chapter I'll lay off with the huge disclaimers and just say that I don't own DBZ and Vegeta and any Saiyajin except the ones I invent myself but then again I can't legally call them Saiyajin because that race is most definitely copyrighted and I can't think up an adequate name for them because every time I visualise them all I think is 'Saiyajin' and nothing else so I'm caught in a catch 22 which sucks and I will stop here because I can't think of anything else to say! 

**Author Note: ** OK so I sorta lied… this bit ISNT the flashback it's a little interlude before I cross the big time bridge to Year 737 (because I can't be bothered writing five years in temporal order…)  So I opted to close the gap faster by jumping five years and putting some sorta important stuff in the flashbacks.  Can't you feel the excitement crackle?  Especially because certain chapters are looming.  Yes folks, I estimate about three more chapters will close the huge space between here and the other nine or so chapters I have already written (with an open bit so I can continue as planned…).    And yes I do flex my citrus muscles… I will update tomorrow because this chapter is so short and I have nearly completed the next one so why wait huh??  ^_^   Oh yeah.. an if you don't remember….    
~ Is my character… ~    
:: Is me!! ::  
"Is normal speech dialogue"  
Is my characters narration etc….. oh and a new one.  
THIS IS A SUN TALKING…… really.  Whatever next.  

**Voices (In One's Head)** by `InSaNe`/Schizophrenic Eggplant

**Part 3:  Chapter 13** -  Dawn of Darkness.

A WEEK LATER, THE DAWN OF PRINCE VEGETA'S RECOGNITION CEREMONY:  Year - 732.

My vision swirls with vivid dreams of roaring fire and chunks of ice, feeling their blistering heat and numbing cold.  I must have over-thought that little poem, as war rages between the two elements in their extreme temperatures.  I'm caught in the middle, able to gauge when either two elemental combatants weaken or gain the upper hand.  By all rights the proud fire that burns brightly and rages almost ceaselessly should be melting the unrelenting ice in its fury, but the ice is colder than what it lets on, and barely liquefies as a huge mass of it tumbles down in chunks the size of small planets.  The falling pieces avoid me as I stand amidst the flames, now smouldering with a sixteenth of their former brightness, and they slowly fizzle out leaving only a few small ones flickering.  I shiver in this overbalance of extensive cold, and I feel completely empty.   I hear a 'whoosh', look up, see white, feel a chill slicing into the centre of my being, then a dull thud, then red, and lastly vertigo-inducing darkness.

I suddenly snap awake and shake my head to shoo the darkness away.  I blink a few times to rid my vision of its murkiness.  After a few minutes, my mind feels clear.  Too clear, empty even, which isn't exactly a bad sign.  One of the suns pokes its golden-red head over the horizon, colouring the skies with a purple and pink tinge, staining the occasional puff of cloud blood red, and I greet it like an old friend.

"First Bringer of Light to Vegetasei, how do you fare?"  I receive a dull glow in reply.

"It is only the beginning of your journey!  Why so tired?" The sun speaks to me through its hazy radiance.

MY TIME BRINGING LIGHT AND LIFE TO THIS PLANET IS NUMBERED.  I CAN FEEL IT WITHIN MY CORE, SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT.  NOT RIGHT AT ALL.

I sigh.. It's going to be one of those days where the vibes are all wrong.  If the sun is depressed, it would most definitely reflect rays that will affect those that walk under it.  A great day for a ceremony, I don't think.

"First Sun of Vegetasei, do you know what it is?  Are you going to die..?"

I DO NOT KNOW.  I DO NOT WISH TO THINK ON IT ANY MORE, NOW LEAVE ME TO MY SOLITUDE.

I guess sun's don't make very good conversationalists.  They prefer the distance, and burn those who try to get too close.  

:: You were talking to a SUN?!?!? :: 

~ Newsflash:  I created it at some time or another, but sun's tend to think they are forged from nothing but gaseous compounds.  Who do they think ignites it?  And why am I having this conversation with you?  Don't sneak up like that again! ~

:: So what did Mr. Happy Sunshine have to say? :: 

~ It's not happy at all… ~

Reluctantly I relay to her the brief exchange of communication between myself and Vegetasei's largest life-giving star.  On an issue like this, I know her inquisitive and persistent nature will get the better of her, and right now I'm not in the mood for argument.

:: Interesting, Very interesting.  Wow, I had no idea suns get queasy feelings too when they know something's amiss. ::

~ What exactly IS amiss??  ~

:: She has a right to know.  But I cannot tell her.  Part of me wants to blurt it out, I was never good at keeping secrets, but I can, in my own way, foresee the outcome: that she will try to avoid it happening, which probably will not work, but just in case it does, the big picture would be altered too early.  I've weighed up the pro's and con's within my mind, and my insight tells me to remain silent, so silent I shall be… But on the other hand, it feels that in a way I have almost won her trust, I've assisted her when she has requested it, I haven't let her down.  Deep, deep down, I Know it will not be the same again between us for a long, LONG time after it happens.  Five years.  It seems a while, but in this universe time travels at a different, more swifter pace, although when I'm here and can see through her eyes, it feels normal.  The only thing I can do is leave subtle hints, and hope she can cotton on to them.  The next hint isn't for a long time yet, and it's a fairly obvious one, probably not my doing either… if only there's a way to avoid the one known as— ::

BOOOOONG!  Some sort of gong resounds throughout the still morning, which doesn't turn out to be that still after all, as the sky begins to teem with life, as does the ground below me.  

:: Shit!!  Is it that time already?  Arrgh!!! Why didn't you let me know?  I haven't finished my clairvoyant poem… ::  
~ Is that all you're worried about? You have another four hours anyway. ~   
:: Phew!!  OK I'll go work on it. ::  And with that, I am left alone for the meantime.  Grinning in anticipation of the next ten hours or so, I disengage myself from my lofty perch and make myself ready for the ceremony.

**Next Chapter:**   It's quite a long chapter this time.  Interaction between Vegeta and my character.  And someone may get a name…  the suspense is building… can't you feel it? :p


	15. Chapter 14: Memories of Rites and Initi...

**DISCLAIMER:  **DBZ? What's DBZ?  Uh.. well it's something I don't own, only write about for purpose of enjoyment.  I don't get anything out of it.  Nothing.  Not even half a cent.  I usually get good feedback from my friends, and that's better than any money.  I lie to an extent, but oh well. :P

**Author note:  **I like the way this chapter turned out, and I guess the size makes up for the last one ~_^.  Just a few small points I have to make.  Vegeta is two and a half years old and, he isn't what is yet to become.  He is extremely advanced, physically and mentally.  If you cannot comprehend this, please do not limit yourself to thinking that his development is like a humans, and also, like a child who is not neglected from an early age and encouraged to speak up by their parents/guardians/whoever, they do have the capacity to increase their vocabulary.  I'm taking this to another level, but it can be a possibility.  Plus it is more fun this way, and he does have moments when he acts his age so don't despair!!! ^_^  And there is no dialogue between me and my character because they are in an altered sort of mental state (and no not like that!)  :P

**Voices (In Ones Head)** by `InSaNe`/Schizophrenic Eggplant

**Part 3.** ** Chapter 14 **– Memories of Rites and Initiation.

The uneasy feeling has grown worse over the past week.  Tension has been building, and I don't like it one bit.  I feel I have been stranded here for at least a month and the usual banter of the other in my head has been very faint for over three months.  She has been uncharacteristically silent, which I am usually thankful for, but in this case, I would welcome her conversation quite happily.  Just something to provide an answer to the questions that seethe inside my head like feasting maggots, the biggest one opening its maw in an eyeless face and screaming "What the fuck is going on???" In a voice like a tortured rat.

I haven't seen much of Vegeta lately, only occasionally visiting him at the training facility on Planet Frieza #64.  He is doing very well, and holding his own as a soldier of Frieza at such a tender age.  The Vegeta from a year ago is gone, but that is understandable with the brainwashing that goes on, but he doesn't mind it; just as long as he's got something to keep him occupied no matter who has to suffer, the young prince is content.  The change he has undergone since he's been under Frieza has been unbelievably rapid.  I recall some vaguely touching scenes from those happy and carefree times before, and chide myself for feeling any form of emotion, only feeling pangs of it when She is around and in her absence these feelings should not be stemming from my own self.  One thing I do admit freely is, that I am proud of who he has become, and glad that he did not wholly ignore some of my teachings when he was younger and listened to me.   

I had been by his side almost for the first four and a half years of his life.  I was the invisible friend, something to keep him from totally being neglected from the King, who was a father to an extent, but 'not a dad', my inner other voice had observed.  It had grated on the gruff King to see his son running around without a care in the world, talking to something he could not see and little Vegeta obviously could.  I've always wanted to know if what irked him was that his son had an invisible friend, which he looked upon as a weakness, or because of who that friend was – that freakish dark purple haired Saiyajin with the bizarre black/grey shiny battle uniform and polished black armour who easily wore a cloak that had squashed him flat on his back.  Through all the barriers in his mind he had put up to block it, I do not think he completely forgot that incident.  

I look back fondly on the day of Prince Vegeta's Ceremony of Recognition, where he had sat there on his throne with an expression that would have thunderclouds wishing for a merciful evaporation.  The ceremony was not complete without a few deaths, the most I've ever seen the king perform in a single day – he picked members of the crowd off for clapping wrong, or cheering too loudly for his liking, or he just didn't like the look of them, little things like that.  The crowd dispersed very quickly after everything was over, for the strong scent of aggression was almost too much to stand without a fight breaking out, and those that threatened to were taken outside the castle grounds to settle disputes.  This was the first time such a ceremony was performed since the Saiyajin had switched from a feudal system to a monarchy under Frieza's forceful suggestion with the pretext that he did not want a bunch of uncivilised monkeys working for him.  The monarchy was in place to basically make Frieza look good.  

Each of the highest ranked elites had knelt before the babe and acknowledged him as their prince, future king and leader.  Then a representative from each of the classes did the same, in order from 1st class to 4th class warriors.  There were small rites performed at specified intervals, which were traditional in some way, passed on from their not so old times when a new son of the race leader was born.  It was quite enjoyable to watch, because long, LONG ago I had witnessed something similar, and I could still recognise it for what it was, only the subtlest of changes only noticeable to those who took interest in the lengthy history of the Saiyajin, and myself.

I had watched from under one of the columned sections where a group of elites sat, invisible until it was time, when most of the formalities were over and the king gave an angry sigh – only Then it was time.    

I picture myself as I did then, on a ceremonial podium, overwhelmed by the sea of thick messy hair and a conformity of gold shouldered armour of the elite Saiyajin warriors, shining in their polished brilliance.  I snuck around the back, and shuffled towards the raised ceremonial dais. Fighting with one side of me somewhat – and I do hate to admit it for her sake – afraid to speak in public, and the other side not even used to the concept but harbouring no fear, I faced the crowd, feeling their onyx eyes burning into me.  They cannot see my face, but under my dark shroud I can see them through the thin line which does not obstruct my view. I stood over the tiny prince, cleared my throat and began.

_~* One cannot weave the fate_

_Of one chosen by destiny_

_To seek the gold_

_The trials ahead number many._

_Child one day_

_Next, a killer_

_And a pawn_

_Revenge will be sought._

_Iron will, forged by pain_

_Wreathed in fortitude_

_Reeking of the damned_

_Corpses pile to the stars._

_Rise to the challenge_

_Break the restraints_

_Within your wint'ry tomb_

_Set your mind free._

_Another steps up_

_Not of your kin_

_A friend? A foe?_

_A thorn in your side perhaps._

_Always chasing_

_Never reaching_

_Glorious absolution_

_Until..._

_Unending sand sifts through_

_That which cannot be seen_

_By those of the flesh _

_And everything comes full circle. ~*_

I had no idea where that had come from, only she knew.  She made my voice lilt slightly like a storytellers, ringing out into the crowd in clear resounding tones, quavering with ancientness, which disguised the unconfident shyness quite adequately. 

Even now, five years later, I can still recall most of the words she had spoken through my mouth.  I don't understand half of them though, but as time has passed, some have rung true, the words came back to me as situations unfolded

Child one day, killer the next.  Although he was already born a killer, Vegeta did have a fun-loving side totally repressed by his father, and that is where I stepped in.   I wasn't just an invisible companion, I was also a teacher in a way, educating him in far more important things than numbers and grammar.  I tried my best to not treat him like a project, and I think my other self assisted a little, adding a personal touch here and there.  Sometimes it felt like our separate minds had linked temporarily, because there were moments where I found I was saying things I'd never Dream of saying, but during that time our minds were functioning as one, strangely. I think she was quite taken aback and very impressed by the young prince's intelligence and ability to learn things quickly at such a young age, but then again she claims to have never seen him in her dimension until he was five years old, and by then was exceptionally bright, and brimming with confidence, as he is now at that age. 

I had taught him what it means to exist, and he was a special case indeed, and a handful at times.  I suppose having someone such as I teaching values which I lived with for aeons, it wouldn't be that surprising for the 'pupil' to turn out with a very warped and different outlook on life.  I hadn't brainwashed him, oh no, he could take it or leave it if he so chose.  I never forced my ideals onto him, I just gave him something to think about.   One time I remember when he was lying on his bed, the huge sleeping device dwarfing his tiny body.  An iridescent light globe played a wavering light on our faces, making us appear like spectral creatures.  The air had an electricity about it, not entirely the sort that puts one on edge and curdles their insides, it was more mysterious, like the room was holding its breath.  I sat at his feet, cross-legged, on the oversized bed, just watching him pretend to sleep.  I smiled a little as he opened one eye, propped himself against a soft pillow as big as his body, and scrutinised me intently.  I watched him silently until he spoke.

"I can't sleep!  I feel restless, gotta do something before I explode!  How dare they tell me to nap now, I'm the prince!  I can sleep when I want!" He stared at me like it was my fault.  I knew this was just his way of directing his angry energy aimed at his servants, who his father had ordered to put the infant to bed.  I wouldn't like to be in their shoes when Vegeta is older.  

"I'm not stopping you from staying awake.  What is it you want to do?  Go for a walk?  Play a game?"  

"No." He looked up towards the ceiling, like a young child sometimes does when they're thinking hard.  "I want some answers.   We could make it a kind of a game.  I ask you questions, and you answer me.  In fact, I demand we do that."  So, it was his mind that was restless, not his body.  He did seem to be in a pensive mood all day, but sometimes it was hard to tell.

"Fine with me.  So what do you want to ask of me, Veg?" I enquired, using my nickname for him to ease the tension he felt from being surrounded by military formalities, "I will answer all I can."  I sat, patiently, waiting for him to compose his first question.  I didn't have to wait long.

"Well, things have been buzzing about in my head, and when I think about them too much I feel my body go all hot like I'm melting, then I blank out for a few seconds and when my sight returns I notice stuff; walls have a few more cracks in them than there were before, there are scorch marks on the decorative drapes.  I've even seen blood, but I could be wrong… I don't mean to do it, it just happens.  Is there something not right with me?"  I tried not to smile lest he thought I was mocking him, so I regarded him with a level gaze.

"Something must be frustrating you."  I didn't probe further, or else he would say something about him not giving me permission to ask any questions.  He gave a staunch huff, as if I was talking nonsense.

"Hn.  What would frustrate me?  Anyway, that isn't what I want to know.  What I really want to know is what is it that makes the walls crack and things burn?  Is it me?  Or is it something that's against me and knocks me out and does the damage so I get the blame?"  I smile cunningly to myself.  I'll get to know what is bugging him, if I play the game correctly.  Sometimes you have to pay a small price for information.   I introduced the bait.

"Ahh, so you want to know about ki." I smiled mysteriously, and gave him a mock-condescending expression of omnipotent wisdom.  Needless to say that didn't impress him one bit.

"What's ki?  I've heard about it, but what is it exactly??  Tell me now.  NOW!!" He acted almost like a normal two-and-a-half year old, at first his radar-dish of a learning instinct had zeroed itself in on this new information, but because I was holding out on it, he jiggled up and down on the pillow with a pained expression on his fallen-angel face, and dare I say it the beginnings of a pout that would put all other pouts to shame.  I held my finger up, to wordlessly advise patience.

"I'll tell you what ki really is…" His face instantly lit up,  "even show you…" He gasped and seemed to grow a couple of centimetres taller as if he were becoming over-inflated and ready to burst with excitement.  "If…"   Then in one sigh he deflated and his bottom lip stuck out once again, upturned against his chin.  It would have been quite cute if he wasn't shooting me a scowl that could etch glass. "…you tell me what's eating you first."  And I etched back.  We sat there for a while, engrossed in our mini staring contest, I bided my time until he snapped.

"Oh OK then!  I'll Try to explain it." He exhaled noisily and relaxed himself while preparing to string the sentences together in his head.  I allowed my mouth to curl up just a teensy bit in my triumph.  "Well I hear things from time to time and it's so confusing because Vegeta is my father and I'm Vegeta too and sometimes that Freezy thing is there and father seems scared of him I know he tries to hide it but I can tell… I'm not scared of it but it creeps me out a lot and he's in my dreams and just the way he looks at me just freaks me and makes me shiver and then I get mad because nothing should make me feel like this and I dunno what it is and then the thoughts come at me like a fleet of ships hellbent on suicide crashing into my strong defences." He pauses.  Judging by his lack of eye-contact and lack of vocal sentence structure he wasn't very comfortable with talking about the subject.  I didn't interrupt him and waited until he was ready to resume.  "It's when they finally get through and more questions are flung around with the debris that I just can't take it anymore, and that's when it happens.  The questions are things like 'Which Vegeta are they talking about?' 'If that's me they're talking about what are these plans that are mentioned?'  I even heard Freezy asking Father if he could give him something that he really wants.  What is it?  Is it me? Why? Does Freezy see that father doesn't talk to me much and maybe he wants to take me away from that?  Is he nice or is he a monster?   The answer to all these questions is 'I DON'T KNOW!!' and it makes me so angry because I WANT to know.  I don't care what the outcome is, I just want to know what's going on and where I stand.  I couldn't care less about father, he's so fake but he's a really good king though and he's done soooooo much to bring me up and yes I'm being sarcastic, I have nothing really to be grateful for as far as he's concerned, and I have a feeling that it's mutual.   My resolve gets broken and that's when I feel the rush.  It starts from below my tummy-button and just goes everywhere and when it reaches my head that's when I blank out.  When I come back I feel a lot better and I strengthen the walls again and try to shut things out more, but it always returns.  When it first happened I found fathers guards looking at me like fish in a bowl with those beeping glasses, and they were shouting numbers at each other, but I don't remember much of that."  I nodded intermittently during his brief and very rare disjointed verbal diarrhoea, not interrupting lest I break his chain of thought.  I had all that I needed anyway.  After getting this off his chest, telling me those deep emotional skirmishes, Vegeta started taking interest in his comfy luxurious bedcover, so quiet in contrast from moments before; he had literally talked himself out.  I figured he had earned his right to some brief instruction, now I had a fair idea of what triggers the rising of ki in him.

"Veg." I whispered quietly, and waited until he lifted his head up in acknowledgement, "thank you for telling me this, I know it's hard for you and it won't get any easier.  Do you feel a little better for doing this?" He turned his attention back to the bedcover and drew random patterns on it with his little fist, and his head bobbed in a small nod.

"That's good.  OK, what I want you to do now is to think back to the last time this happened.  I don't want you to think the same thoughts as such, just concentrate on the feeling you get when you think them, when you feel your mental shield being attacked by the questions."  Vegeta looked back up at me with a small hint of disbelief.

"But…"  I shushed him.

"If you want to know something, you will try all you can to gain that knowledge, and once you do, you won't know yourself.  Wouldn't you rather be in control rather than letting it control you?"

"Yes!!!  But…"  I stared at him angrily.

"There is not time for buts, Vegeta!"  My small outburst of anger startled him.

"You're just like father.  Go away and come back when you've stopped."  In a quick flick he pulled the cover over his head and sat there like that.

"Veg, please."  I made a move to remove the silly cover, but before my fingers gripped the fabric he snapped like a dog.

"Leave me alone!"  A forlorn muffled voice yelped.  I sighed helplessly; when he packs these kind of sulks, it can take a lot of time before he's back to himself.

"Fine, I'll leave you to wallow in your morose little world.  I won't teach you to fly and all that stuff and you can be slower and weaker than you would if you began your training now.  The sooner you realise your potential, the sooner you will get on top of things and conquer all those nagging thoughts.  I am here for a reason Vegeta, none of the other Saiyajin children have someone like me, to give you what they could never have, at a time when you need it most - guidance.   You are very special, and very unique.  You know that don't you?  All those cracks in the walls are caused by your ki – Yours, no one else's -  those burn holes in the drapes also."  I failed to mention the few times when it's not just non-living objects that get in the way, but that's all hush-hush and swept under the carpet.  "You do all that, but you must condition your mind and not let it spill over and overwhelm you.  One reason I am here is to give you a head-start, a small introduction so you get the gist of it and can form techniques that work well for you, I'm just here to light the spark.  I'll leave you now, to roam around constantly trying to find the answer, but never quite getting there, lost in the vaults of your insecurities.  Let me know when you come to your senses, child."  

This could go either way, he could fall for my light reverse psychology, or if he was one of his stubborn sulky moments he would still tell me to piss off in no uncertain terms.  I didn't mean most of what I said, but in times like these one has to be harsh.  I got up off the bed, so he could take note of the removal of weight, and made a move towards the door.  When I had both my hands on the doorknobs I glanced over to the unhappy upright lump in the bed.  One hand turned a knob with a creak, and out of the corner of my vision I saw the covers move, revealing the mini-flame of hair identical to his sires, a single downwards-sloping brow and a beady little eye squinting at me, and half a snubby nose.  Of course that was for the tiniest of milliseconds as he  covered himself back up almost as soon as I had turned my head to look at him.  I made a move to open the door, which squeaked audibly, and then slammed it shut, still remaining in the room.  Immediately the covers came down, as he thought I had indeed left, and he folded his arms and scowled once he realised he'd been fooled.

  
"Hey you tricked me!!  No fair!" I grinned as I walked back towards the bed and ruffled his hair, earning myself a squeal of protest.

"Nothings fair in life Veg, you'll learn that the hard way, and maybe even demonstrate its effects one day, who knows." I also decided to let my curiosity get the better of me.  "What were you 'but-ing' about before anyway, hmm?" His eyes glazed over momentarily.

"Uh…  You've seen what I've been able to do when it seizes me right?  I-didn't-want-to-hurt-you."  The last sentence was blurted out in a jumble of words.  

"It can't be that bad, don't let that get in your way.  Besides I have my own methods to avoid that from happening.  Maybe one day I will tell you."  He regarded me with a small sneer, that he had detected some subtle form of belittling.  I hadn't meant to, of course, but I knew from observation that he hated to be treated like he knew less than he really did, because no-one would give him a chance.

"Stop pretending you don't know, you must have seen things, or heard them at least… members of the castle staff going missing?  At least that's what they want me to think, but I know that I do it.  No wonder I can't seem to make many friends, just that lummox Nappa who's taken up following me for a living.  I reckon my father put him up to it.  Honestly, the oaf can't hold a decent five minute discussion before he gets distracted and his attention goes elsewhere.  I'd get better conversation out of a… a rug." 

He then made a hiccupping noise and covered his mouth.  I thought he was going to be sick at first, but his body started to shake instead of rhythmically convulse.  Then it dawned on me, and I couldn't help myself either.  It was contagious, and started out small like a trickle seeping from a crack in a dam, then the structure weakened and it all gushed out in a torrent.  I doubled up, the laughter racking through my body unstoppably.  It's quite a funny experience when one was not used to breathing, it just went on and on, but still felt somewhat un-natural without the little gasp or snort occasionally.  I think that was the influence of my mortal side.  The prince on the other hand had almost rolled off the pillow in a fit of giggling.  It must have been the shared mental image (not the same, both from different perspectives but extremely humorous either way), of young Vegeta shooting the breeze with an old rug and Nappa in a corner scratching his head.  Once the waves of the laughter had subsided a bit, I lay back and stretched my cramped abdominal muscles and sighed in a songlike tone, still lapsing back into a few chuckles when the picture happened to run another circuit of my imagination.  I hadn't yet noticed that Vegeta had totally ceased and had fully regained his composure.  From where I was lying I could only see the ceiling which disappeared in the darkness for the light of the single globe was far from enough to illuminate the entire chamber.

"I killed them didn't I?  During my attacks?" The sombre mood returned like a shroud.  I stretched the truth just a tad.

"Only one.  The other four were just injured a bit." 

"Oh." He too, stared at the ceiling in silence.  Soon a question popped into my head.  I shooed it away because I thought it was silly, but it kept nagging at me.

"Veg?"

"Yes?"

"How do you feel, knowing you've killed others?" I asked this question for two reasons.  Part of me wanted to know at what age he didn't feel remorse for ending others lives, and part of me wanted to know if I he shared the same outlook I did.  He shrugged indifferently at first, then finally answered.

"I feel nothing.  I don't Know I've done it but it's just through things I've heard.  Father does it all the time, with that ki thing, but I'm different I think, because father can make stuff dead with his hand.  Whereas when I do it even when I don't realise it sometimes until it gets too much and leaps upon me with its fury, and destroy whoever's in my path at the time.  I may feel a little regret…"  I snapped upwards with interest.

"And why's that?"

"Because I'm unconscious while their flesh blisters and peels away in front of my eyes and they char while they cry their useless pleas until they can cry no more and are nothing but blackened smoking bones at my feet… I don't get to see that.  Umm that's about it."  I am dumbfounded to say the least.  I don't know whether to be horrified or amazed.  Vegeta sensed my shock.

"I'm joking I'm joking!!" He grinned to stress that he was, but to this day I haven't been convinced that was 100% jest.  I smile too, quite nervously in fact for I wasn't expecting to be thrown off-balance like that.  

"You are something else, you know that?." I remarked with a shaky voice, unable to pick up if he had understood the double meaning.  He just widened his grin a fraction, flashing his pearly teeth at me.  All of a sudden, he sat bolt upright.

"I'm ready now.  I want to learn, and I will try my best to concentrate and achieve this."  Now it was my turn to grin.

"Let us begin then.  You know what to do."  Vegeta held up a hand.

"Wait.  I have one more question.  Do you have a name?"  I could tell it was going to be a long night.

**Next Chapter:  **Chibi Vegeta gets into a spot of trouble…  and someone makes an unwanted entrance.  


	16. Chapter 15: An Explosive Awakening

**DISCLAIMER:  **I don't own it, I wish I did, but I don't.  The years may go on, my hair will turn grey, but I still will not own it.  I will wait for the day when a spherical spacecraft lands in my very backyard..  and I still will not own it.  In 60 years when my grandchildren try to shake me out of my catatonic alive-but-dreaming state, sadly I will not own it.  When I finally depart the world of the living, only then will I own it, and everything else.  I can't remember what 'it' was, now…  but I don't own it yet, or Dragonball Z.

**Author notie thing!: ** Well, this should be interesting.  A short chapter again, but not without its moments.  Keep reading tho, more is yet to come, I'm only getting warmed up!!!   I make it three, possibly four chapters… until disaster strikes… I know I said that last time, but more ideas just pop up and I have to act upon them on impulse.  I have already written certain parts in the future, so they are definitely coming (poor choice of words there… x_X) …   
So, enjoy this little chapter, and the childlike innocence... while it lasts.  

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**Voices (In One's Head) **by `InSaNe`/Schizophrenic Eggplant

**Part 3.  Chapter 15 **–  An Explosive Awakening.

I had never even thought about that, it hadn't occurred to me.  Until now.  A name?  Well so far I did have one…

"Um.. Future Diviner." I said with a little hesitation.  He screwed his little face up like he'd eaten something horrid.

"Don't be silly, that's not even a real name!  Come on, you've got to have one."  I shake my head.  Apart from the Future Diviner handle I had given myself when I was under pressure all that time ago, I had nothing.  I had never needed a name.  I couldn't ask the one who gave me form and something resembling a personality, because our minds were still melded.

"No.  I have no name.  Is that strange?  I guess it must be, since everyone I've seen here has one."  Now it was my turn to look solemnly at the bedclothes.

"I know,  I'll give you a name."  I raised my head again, and Vegeta's expression was thoughtful.  In a flash, he bounded down the bed towards me, and stood up, and placed a tiny hand on my shoulder, and with the other reached up and touched my hair.   He held it towards the light globe.

"Hmm… interesting.  I've kept a name for you in case you didn't have one, but I thought you did but you didn't want to tell me, so I didn't say."  I smiled at the little prince, and wondered what name he was going to give me.  

"Fine, you can name me, I'd be honoured.  Don't make it too obscene though!"  Vegeta replaced my hair, patting it down, then folded his arms to make him appear important and regal.

"Would I do that? You insult me… Obajeen." I blinked at him.  He wore a smug expression on his face.

"…Obajeen?"  I wondered aloud.

"You don't like it?  Its cos of your hair how its black, but when I hold it up to the light, it's a very dark shade of purple.  It reminds me of a sort of food a planetary representative brought here once." I let the name sink in and mull it over my tongue.  
"Obajeen.  Hmm… I like it, you've obviously put a lot of thought into it." I smiled in appreciation.  Vegeta smiled back, a little evilly.

"There's a catch though." Isn't there always?  "Since you call me Veg for short, I'm gonna call you Jeenie!" How touching.

"Deal.  Now can you do something for me?  Sit down, don't fidget, and let's get you started on the basics of ki."  Vegeta plonked down in front of me and sat with his legs crossed.

"OK Jeenie!"  He smiled a smile that tried to be angelic but failed, and it faltered once he realised what he had to do.  I noticed it immediately.

"Be strong Vegeta.  I'm here, just concentrate and I'll guide you through it, but after that it's all up to you."  The young princes expression grew serious and he closed his eyes.  

The peaceful expression soon disappeared as his face tensed up in a mask of forced concentration as I watched him battle with his inner demons.  A few minutes later his eyes opened and he sighed and looked at me.

"I can't do it. I try, and I can't do it!"  A little fist pounded the bed, creating an indentation in the covers.  

"Sure you can, Veg!  Use your visualisation skills, I'll give you some scenes to imagine, and see if that works."  Vegeta nodded and reverted back to being relaxed.

"OK.  Now, imagine all those questions smashing into your mental barriers, but they're not questions, they are physical manifestations, and they want to get at you only to weaken you.  To stop them from doing that, you must counter, with strength from within."

"Strength from within…" The boy muttered in his trance-like state.

"To find that, you must look deep.  It is a big ask I know, but the rewards are worth it.  Go to your innermost core, your centre, for there you will find what your father hides from himself, and what Frieza has long abandoned.  If you are confronted by self-doubt, brush it away, it only wants to distract you and lead you from your destination.  You will know when you reach this place." And so will I.

Silence hung over us in a cumulonimbus of latent chemical-electrical potential energy, as seconds thudded by and marched in a conformity of passing minutes.  I monitored the prince for any signs of a change of state, but for what seemed like ages (I blame her for this horrendously slow perception of time), Vegeta sat in front of me, motionless, breathing evenly and deeply, but he wasn't asleep.  I could hear the static crackle impatiently in the surrounding air, but that could have been my mind playing tricks on me, or my own energy simmering with restlessness.

:: Or his. ::  

Briefly, my other personality separated itself from our presently fused minds to impart those two words.  To be honest I hadn't even considered that as an option.   Until I saw Vegeta's eyes open, then I knew it to be the Only possibility.   They weren't just shining, they were burning with a new light, freshly discovered.  I nearly burst with excitement, that is to say, both myself and the other in my head did.

:: See that?  That is what I have yet to achieve.  Although I am at one with myself a lot of the time, I can never radiate it like that, only umm.. when you are in the external universe where I exist as flesh and blood, Obajeen. ::  She used my name also, as if she had been using it for years without me knowing.  Intriguing, yet annoying.

~ Did you have to remind me about that infernal place?  Ugh… but, I do know what you mean.  It really is impressive when someone discovers themselves and removes the limits set for them by their own fears and paranoia. ~  I sighed contentedly in my head.

"Well done, Vegeta.  How do you feel?"  I smiled knowingly as he clenched his hands into fists and looked from one to the other, lengthily, as if it was the first time he had noticed them.  His eyes moved up my face and rested on my own, and I felt half of me flinch slightly, and then steady.  He no longer had the eyes of an innocent.

"I… I can't describe it.  Its just power…"  One side of his mouth creeps upwards, into a mini version of a legendary smirk.  "…and it feels good!" 

"That's great, you've made a breakthrough!  But… that's not where it ends, there is one more part, and you won't be giving me that look when you know what it is."  I told him, chiding him for that dark scowl he aimed at me.  "This is the part where you make your energy visible, and try to control it."  As I thought, the frown disappeared.

"Let's do that now!!"  He is one keen student, I admire his enthusiasm.

"Patience, prince.   We will begin.  You can feel all that energy coursing through you body?"  Vegeta nodded so vigorously that I thought his head was going to fall off.

"I take that as a 'yes'.  That is your ki, and it is now tapped.  Although it may seem like it is surging anywhere and everywhere, in time, you will have complete mastery of it.  I will teach you some control, but I can only take you so far.  The rest you will have to accomplish on your own, through your own techniques as I stated before.  Right then, what you need to do is gather your ki to that place below your navel – your tummy button – where you say you felt that rush.  But whatever you do, Don't let it rush, yet.  Just collect it there. If you have trouble, try this.  You'll be a king one day, so this will be easy to visualise.  Imagine that you have an army of warriors in your body, all loyal to you and only you, who will obey your every command.  Order them to move to that place, it is the proper area where it is stored for future use when you decide to call upon it – which is the next step.  Believe that they will follow you to the ends of the universe, otherwise it won't work.  But you aren't exactly weak willed, are you, so you shouldn't have any problem."   The small prince was onto it as quick as a flash and I had to stifle any uncharacteristic giggling because he was talking out loud to himself.  Those burning eyes of his were now shielded by their lids.

"You!  In my arms, go to that place!  The… is there a name for it?"  He hovered on the question, waiting for an answer.

"Dan Tien." I whispered, mentioning a name my other half had heard somewhere for that storage place."

"Dan Tien… DT… go to the DT now!  And await further orders!  Now the legs, meet where the arms went, go to the DT too!  Any slackers?  Get there now!!  What do you mean there isn't any room!?  Make room!  Do as I say, I command it!  Whoa… it feels like it's gonna—"

"Don't let it!!  Hold it in!" Boy, did I ever underestimate the situation.  Vegeta winced under the strain.  Quickly I told him what to do, even demonstrating.  He opened his eyes again.  They showed a little hint of discomfort, and that he was fighting to control his ki with everything he had.

I held my hands out in front of me, cupped and slightly apart but facing each other, and motioned to him to do the same.  I focused some ki to my own dan tien.

"I take it you can sense the light down there.  Bring it out, visualising it materialising into your hands, like this."  I lead by example, the golden light in my hands flickered at first, then steadied into a weakly glowing ball suspended between my palms.  Shortly after, Vegeta followed my lead, and became quite ecstatic when a tiny sphere glimmered, and wavered for a few seconds.  

Then my whole world turned upside down and filled with a blinding brightness of brilliant vibrant colours, before a thick curtain of black drew a veil over my consciousness.

**Next up:**  Umm..  food hunt, trouble, and a confrontation which ends up sticky and incomplete… and Obajeen does a little bit of spying…


	17. Chapter 16: Trouble in Paradise

**DISCLAIMER:**  It's after 3am and I'm dead tired an I been waiting for FFN to pick up its pieces… so I just gonna say, I don't own DBZ!!!

**Authory bit thingy:  **Yay the gap is closing the gap is closing!!!!   I'm not writing whole chapters now jus closing bits and pieces an polishing them to a shiney glow!!  This is a nice chapter I think, although you readers may differ on your opinions but I'll never know cos I got no reviews! -_-  (This time in my ORIGINAL NC-17 post, I had 8.. and I really miss em!)  Enjoy this long chapter, it gets kinda a BIT spicy!!

**VOICES (In Ones Head) **by `InSaNe`/Schizophrenic Eggplant

**Part 3.  Chapter 16 **–  Trouble in Paradise.  
  


I don't know how long it had been, minutes, hours.  I picked myself up off the floor on the other side of the room, which now resembled a bomb site.  Where the bed was, a fair sized crater now sunk into the floor.  In the middle sat a dazed little boy with a slightly blackened face.  On my hands and knees I crawled over to the edge of the crater.

"Veg?  Vegeta??"  Feathers from the pillows still floated around, some had landed in the prince's upswept hair, and charcoal chunks that used to be a bed and lush bedspread were strewn miscellaneously about the room, and nearer to the prince, radiating from the centre of the crater, was a starburst of pure carbon and ash.  Not a sound came from the boy, who could have been in some state of shock brought on by overload.  It was my fault, well, only partly.  There was no way I could have comprehended the maximum amount of ki he contained at that stage, I only assumed he'd had enough that his body could have coped with but I was wrong.  I waved a hand rapidly in front of his glazed eyes.

"Veg… wake up!! Snap out of it!!"  I shake him gently but firmly by the shoulders.  Still nothing.  I went to shake him harder, but then I heard him breathe again, which was a good sign, although it was shallow and quick.  His eyes were no longer misted over, but he wasn't looking AT things, more like THROUGH them.  During his panting, I made out the staggered words he said.

"That… was… unbelievably… AMAZING!!"  As if waking up from a long sleep, he stood up and stretched, only to be interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Prince Vegeta?  You alright in there?"  We both sighed.  It was Nappa.  "The scouters went crazy all over cos they picked up a huge reading so I came to check it out."  The scouters!  Oh shit.

"Nappa, this is none of your concern.  I merely had a disturbing dream."  Vegeta spoke back sharply.

"But prince…" Nappa whined in his gravely tone. "the scouters read five thou—"

"You are loyal to me, am I right Nappa?"  Vegeta cut Nappa off.

"Why yes, my prince, to the end."

"Good.  I'll tell you a little secret then.  And if you tell anyone, even my father, I'll rip all your limbs from your torso including your head, which in its last 20 seconds of life will stare at your detached body parts and that will be the last thing you see." 

"I understand my prince, but your father is the king and he kinda outranks you and if he asks me –"

"You are no longer in my father's charge, since he assigned you as my personal guard, it is only me you answer to now.  Get that?"

"Uhh… sure, Prince Vegeta.  Now come on, tell me the secret!" Nappa sounded like an excited puppy would if it could talk.

"Alright.  You know that number you said, that the scouter was reading?"

"Yes, five thousand?  That's real high, maybe the scouters are on the blink."

"No, they aren't Nappa, and that is the secret.  You should be careful not to tell anyone, because that was no idle threat I gave you.  Get the scouters recalibrated anyway, to erase suspicion."  Nappa spluttered from behind the door.

"But, five thousand??  For a child that's impossible!!  Even stronger than your fa—"

"And that's all the more reason you should keep your mouth shut!!!  If I find out you've blurted anything about this, you know what'll happen."  We both heard Nappa gulp audibly from the hallway. 

"Ok, my Prince."  Nappa sighed.  For about a minute he stood there, his loud breathing could be heard by the both of us.

"You can leave now Nappa." The breathing paused.

"Uh.. yeah." He grunted and his heavy footsteps faded away.  Then they returned, and a more gentle, hesitant knock sounded upon the polycarbon fibre door.

"Prince Vegeta?" The young royal breathed in deeply, then out.  That didn't help his irritated tone of voice though.

"What is it NOW?" He asked impatiently.

"…What's a torso?"  Needless to say, we both fell over sideways. (Anime style!)

*****       ****         *******

After that dose of stupidity, Vegeta and I pulled ourselves to our feet silently, and he made a move towards the door.

"Where are you going, Veg?" I enquired.

"I'm hungry, so I'm going to the kitchen to raid the pantry."  I guessed he'd need replenishment after that impressive and destructive display of ki.  

"What if you get caught?"  Vegeta gave me a 'don't be stupid' glare.

"I'm not afraid of Nappa or anyone else.  Are you?"  He raised his eyebrow in a challenge.

"Ha, as if!!  I'm invisible remember!"  The door opened with a small creak.  He looked up and down the hallway.

"Coast's clear!  Race ya!!"  He sprinted off and the door slammed in my face.  Charming!  

"Why you… I'll catch up!!"  I yelled and took off after him, not bothering to open the door.  He wasn't a slow youngster, his legs were a blur as he ran down the corridors, knowing where to go almost off by heart.  He ducked left and right down the passages, and I caught him when we were nearly at the large kitchen.  There was no-one around so Vegeta flung the pantry doors wide, and feasted upon various foodstuffs in vast quantities.  I helped myself to some preserved meats, much to the dislike of the woman in my head.  

::  I'm a vegetarian!! ::  I resisted the urge to play on that particular pun.

~ So?  I'm not! ~  After chewing on the limb of meat, I found some dried fish.  ~ Better? ~ 

:: Slightly.  Fish is OK, although it doesn't look like any of the fish I've seen… some sort of sea creature.. Oh well, it's not my stomach at least… ::  

In the meantime, Vegeta was literally swimming in the huge chest fridge.  His face was covered in some brown spicy sauce, and he peered over the top of the cold storage.

"There are some pies made of Torzian flesh somewhere, they're going to be tomorrow's dinner.  I can't find them and I have a craving for some! Aaargh!!"  He dove in amongst the cold food and rustled around loudly.

"Veg!  Stop making all that noise!" I warned.  He couldn't hear me through the plastic and paper packaging, which eventually ended up being thrown over the side of the fridge in his quest to find the treasured pies.  The clamour it created was like a giant reptile storming the palace in contrast to the silence of before.  My dread became all too clear as signs of other life became apparent and I froze like a nocturnal mammal in headlights when the kitchen became flooded with light.  I quickly dropped the food I was holding, making it look like it just fell off the shelves.  Rather that than having it suspended in mid-air.  Could it get worse?

"Found them Jeenie!!" A triumphant cry from an elated Saiyajin prince with a messy face, holding up his round edible trophies.  "Hey!  Why'd you go turn the lights on…?  Oh…" 

The realisation sank in, first, when he looked at my face and my failed attempt to get him to shush as soon as he surfaced, and secondly when the individual investigating the ruckus located the source of disturbance and entered the doorway, and he wasn't amused.  It was Daikon, the twin brother of Nappa, although you wouldn't think it.  Standing at just under six feet, his abundant spiked black hair adding another half a foot to his height, he took up only most of the doorway.  Vegeta's instinctive reactions kicked in and he leaped out of the fridge and ran up to the imposing Saiyajin.

"Out of my way, first class scum!!"  He barked in his semi high-pitched voice.  The prince barely came up to Daikon's knees.  Nappa's intelligent brother glared down at Vegeta and smirked a little.

"No can do, prince.  Your orders are overridden by the king, who has set a curfew in place for all palace members save his guards, and special instructions to keep you confined to your quarters.  We had to do this without you knowing of course, that's why we weren't placed directly outside your door, but we're around.  I've been tracking you since you turned left on corridor D." Vegeta's face grew red, as if he was going to burst with rage, but instead he made a run for it through Daikon's legs.   The prince was small and fast, but he was no match for Daikon's honed speed.  

"Hey!! Lemme go!!  Let me go at once!" He complained at four feet from the ground, dangling by his arm.  I followed Daikon and his unhappy cargo along the corridors to meet with the king who would deal with the delinquent.  

"Ha!  You think my father will do anything?  He doesn't care!  He'll probably just shout at me and send me to my room again!  You're wasting your time, just let me go and I'll see myself back to my room…!!  No wonder you're only 1st class, Nappa at least listens to me!"  At this, Daikon stopped, composed himself and bundled the prince under his arm before resuming.  

"I would rather make my way up through the ranks by using my head for something other than a battering ram, prince.  And with all due respect, keep your incessant shouting minimal.  The king is in one of his 'moods', I've heard, and it's not a good one."  This sent Vegeta yelling on another tangent, and this time obscenities were hurled, but they merely vaporised on contact with the guards no-nonsense manner, as he continued his march towards their intended destination – King Vegeta's private chambers.  

Daikon buzzed the intercom, and the speaker crackled to life.  An iris of a tiny camera whizzed into life and zoomed and focused on the patient guard.

"Daikon.  Why have you interrupted my…"  He paused to silence giggles that obviously weren't his because he wasn't known do that sort of thing, and there was more than one. "…business?  You know I told you not to bother me unless it was something important."  

"I apologise that you are busy, Your Highness, but I feel this Is important.  You see, it involves the prince –"

"What has the brat done now?  If he's disobeyed me by leaving his quarters I'll skin him alive!" Vegeta snorted from under Daikon's arm.  The guard increased his hold on the squirming boy.

"I wouldn't be here if he hadn't done as such, my king."  The voice over the speaker growled indignantly.

"Enter.  And do not be alarmed at what you see, as a guard in my service you should become used to my activities of late." Daikon did not need to second guess what King Vegeta was referring to.  The auto-lock deactivated with a click, and the door slid open.  Daikon tried hard to turn a blind eye towards the scene before him.  

Since Queen Kapsikaa's demise, his king had resorted to certain methods of 'stress relief' in the form of numerous concubines, and judging by the amount surrounding the flame-haired monarch, he was, or had been and was yet to be, under a LOT of stress.   And that wasn't the only thing he was under.  Silently I counted three naked concubines, and they were the only visible ones, who knows how many there were in total, for the bedclothes were alive with what looked like a restless ocean of serpents writhing underneath.  The servants of pleasure were freaks of Saiyajin nature, mutants by their standards, for they didn't possess the musculature and hard-wearing features evident in females of their race.  Instead their features were gentle, their skin downy soft, complexions practically flawless, and their bodies were still toned, but their curves were more pronounced, and their limbs were supple and flexible which made up in some ways for the lack of excess muscle tissue.  They were docile, submissive and obedient, not to mention fragile, weak and disposable.  The chamber was thick with the heavy pungent odour of plentiful sex and scented massage oil, which assaulted the guards olfactory senses with every breath.  He took care not to let the king notice this small discomfort.  

"Explain yourself." The king said in his usual brisk manner, angling himself so he could see around the ivory body straddling him and massaging his rippling upper body.  He stared at Daikon, then at the wide-eyed boy under his arm, whose face was still smeared with some of the pantry's contents.

"Your Highness, I caught the prince rummaging through the main fridge, the pantry door was open and the kitchen's a total disaster area!  I heard him shout something but I didn't see anyone else in the vicini—"  

"It was Jeenie!  She was there too but only I can see her and no-one el—" Vegeta piped up, cutting off the first-class warrior mid-sentence, and was cut of himself by his father.

"Silence!!  Enough brat, you're in serious trouble as it is without making it worse for yourself with your outrageous stories!"  King Vegeta simmered in his bed, while his glorified whores doubled their effort to massage and continue other means of relaxation therapy.  He lay there, like he was in a bath and the water was getting cold, and he couldn't be bothered moving.  Next thing he swung himself around so he was sitting on the edge of the bed, sending the girls flying.

"Feratto!  Get these sluts out of my room and fetch me my robe!" As soon as he heard his name mentioned, a well-groomed Saiyajin appeared, tall, lean, and quite handsome.  Although his hair appeared to be in chaotic messy spikes, they were deliberately like that, there wasn't a strand out of place.   In a voice that didn't need to be too demanding, as those girls were set to obey orders on a hair-trigger, Feratto told them to clear out and go back to the recently decorated harem section.  Three lithe naked female bodies quickly left via the discreetly concealed exit at the opposite ends of the room.  Impatiently the king pushed at the ones struggling to get free of the heavy eiderdown, sending them sprawling off the bed, covers and all, and after mumbling humble apologies they daintily fled the chamber.

"Your robe, sire." The king's personal assistant and newly appointed Chief of the Harem held out the plush item of clothing.  King Vegeta stood up off the bed, and I had to conceal a gasp of awe, because although he was a total bastard, his body was remarkable – not too bulky, not too scrawny.  Every muscle was in brilliant proportion, I doubt a sculptor would ever do this specimen justice.  

::  Hmm… not a bad arse either… but, he's definitely 'look but don't touch' material. ::

~ I wasn't even tempted!  I'm admiring the form of his body, not thinking what it might've be like in the place of one of those silly hussies, which is what I assume, was on your mind? ~ 

:: Me?  Never!  I was only comparing notes on family inheritance and the like.   Nothing worth bothering about really, all very boring. :: 

Something similar to disappointment twanged through me as King Vegeta about turned to face Daikon, because he had tactfully drawn his robe around himself as he turned to address his son and the guard, who immediately straightened his posture.

"Brat.  I am extremely disappointed in you, and something must be done about it.  Feratto!" 

"Sire?"  The manservant replied, at the ready to follow his masters orders.

"Draw me a bath and set out my casual sparring armour."  

"As you command, sire."  Feratto bowed deeply before striding off to prepare the king's bath.

"Daikon?"  Nappa's twin brother snapped to attention.

"Your Highness?"

"Escort the disobedient child back to his room, dress him in battle gear, and take him to my training quarters, where he will wait for me."

"At once, my King." Daikon saluted with his right fist over his left breastplate.  The king took one last short glance at his son, and spoke in a harsh whisper.

"If you aren't outside my training quarters in exactly 25 minutes, I'll come find you, and drag you there myself.  Believe me, you don't want me to have to do that."  The prince screwed his face up in a sneer and growled, but that's all he could do.  

"You are dismissed." Both King Vegeta and Daikon with Prince Vegeta still under his arm went their separate ways. The young boy-prince wasn't fazed with the venting of his fathers anger;  he'd been through it before, gotten beaten and bruised and bounced back.  It'll be just like that again, the same old routine every time he got a little out of line.  No big deal.

But little did he know the grave situation, not fully.  There was an ominous presence stirring in chilly breezes, and it was getting stronger.  I knew I had to be there, in the kings training room, and to think at one time I never thought I'd venture there again.  Leaving my ward and his royal sire to their own devices, I got a head start on them and made my way there alone.

**Next Chapter:  **Vegeta vs. Vegeta…  does the Prince have a chance?  And who turns up at a crucial point?? Read on and find out!!


	18. Chapter 17: Premature Intervention

**DISCLAIMER:  ***Taps heels together three times while wearing horrible sparkly red shoes that look like they've been handed down to me by my grandmother* :  
                        "I own DBZ"  
                        "I own DBZ" 

                        "I own— Oh Toto you stupid mutt!!!  That's the third time you've pissed on my leg this week!!!"   Looks like I won't be owning DBZ. *sighs*

**Author bitty:  **Not long to go!!!! Not long to go now at all!!! (till the gap is filled… the story still continues tho!)   Woohooooo!!!!!!  Enjoy this chapter and please review if your conscience advises it! :P

** These are Frieza's thoughts… **  If you wonder what they are, they're quite obvious but I thought I'd put this in out of consideration :P  I must be going soft in my old age, that MUST be rectified!!!  
  


**Voices (In Ones Head)**  by `InSaNe`/Schizophrenic Eggplant

**Part 3.  Chapter 17 **– Premature Intervention.

Above the giant red planet, a round, disc-shaped space ship hovered.  The lights were on, and it was buzzing with life.  In the control room, in a strange looking chair that levitated one and a half feet off the ground, reclined a being.  Because of the structure of the chair and how deep it was, only the upper half of its body was visible.  Its skin was white, with pink striations along the side of its face, arms, legs, and it's tail, which ended in a sharp-looking purple tip. A shelf of external skull covered most of its head like a helmet, domed with a mid-shade of purple between two eight inch long horns that protruded from each side of its head at obtuse angles from each other. Armour - or was it an exo-skeletal structure? – encased its torso.  

Frieza regarded the beautiful panorama in front of him with a bored gaze, white lids blinking intermittently over eyes with burning cold red irises.  Black-nailed fingers drummed a tattoo on the right side of his face, and his dark thick lips were grimly pursed.  On each side of were his two most loyal officers, who couldn't be more unalike.   It was deathly quiet, save the hums, whirrs and clicks of the ships computers, and the occasional mucous wheeze of the rotund pink officer standing to the left of the horned individual.  Frieza uttered a small throaty growl when niggling disturbing thoughts broke through the usually impenetrable barriers erected through his selfish desires and uncaring attitude towards everything but what only mattered to him.  And when such thoughts got through that far, his natural reaction was to nip it in the bud, for he had the power to do so, and he made sure nothing ever got in the way.  These pestering thoughts gave way to plans and strategies which churned in his head.  Eventually the view got the better of him, and with a frustrated grunt, he used his telekinetic powers to rotate the chair 180 degrees so the cursed planet was no longer in his sight.

"Zarbon."  His pleasant effeminate male tone pierced the surrounding blanket of electronic noise.

"Yes, Master Frieza?" Replied an incredibly handsome male of an unknown species with skin the colour of mint, and hair a hue of emerald, braided tidily in a plait that swished in a fluid motion as he turned his head around to face his liege, regarding him with clear golden eyes under long lashes.

"I've heard something minutely disturbing over my private channel.  It seems my spies have come across something quite interesting, yet perplexing."  The reptilian creature paused, as a test to see if either one of his men was foolish enough take this opportunity for their curiosity to get the better of them before he gave them permission to speak.  Both officers held their tongues for they were well aware that their ruthless leader was testing them.  Frieza looked from one, to the other, a smile flickered before returning back to its poker face, and then he continued. 

"It seems our young prospect has more potential than I thought.  According to my sources, who have ceased their panic, their scouters picked up a reading of 5,000 coming from the boy Vegeta's rooms."  Frieza allowed his two henchmen a surprised intake of breath.  "This, gentlemen, adds some serious complications to my previous plans."  The silence became pregnant, and then gave birth courtesy of the handsome Zarbon, although somewhat hesitantly.

"You mean you're going to request him earlier?"  Horns tipped forward as Frieza nodded once.  
"Precisely Zarbon.  I was hoping that he hadn't awoken his power yet, only done so once he was in my grasp."

"The monkey-king won't like it, Master Frieza."   The obese pink Dodoria interjected, his jowls wobbling with each word.

"Since when have I cared what he thinks?" Dodoria mumbled an apology as Frieza shot him an icy glare.  "Vegeta the younger is mine.  He has been promised to me, and six months isn't going to make a difference!"  

"What do you require of us, my Lord?" Asked Zarbon.

"Stay here on the ship.  I'm going on-planet for a short while, to speak with the… what did you call him Dodoria?  'Monkey-king'.  Yes.  His spawn will be mine, one way… or another.  Open the airlock and the outside hatch, now."

"As you command, Master Frieza." Zarbon complied in a serious monotone, pressing the buttons to open the two doors.  Frieza sailed in on his chair, and the airlock sealed off with a hiss, the hatch opened, and the small but powerful leader and tyrant sped off towards Vegeta-sei.

** Yes, very complicated indeed… **  Thought Frieza on his way to the planet's surface, ** I can't let anyone know why I truly want Vegeta.  I must have him now that he isn't as powerless as previously thought, and still only a child.  He is young, and hopefully impressionable, but will he be as stubborn as his father?  Hmm…  I wouldn't want him as an enemy later on.  Ha!  Not because he will ever be stronger than me, perish the thought!   But if he were allied with me, part of my little team, he would be a very loyal subject, if handled in the correct manner:  Force.  Lots and lots of force.  If that doesn't get through to him, I'll have to think come up with a more radical method!  Now to make him an offer his basic Saiyajin instincts cannot refuse… only if Plan A doesn't succeed, which, knowing that pesky King of all Monkeys, just might be a possibility… but he'll lose out both ways, the primitive simian. **   Onwards he travelled, evil cackles trailing in his wake.

***     *****  ********          *********          *********          ***************

On the busy red planet of Vegetasei, while Prince Vegeta was sullenly being readied by Daikon for what his father had in store, a single star of many studded about the black night sky, plummeted downwards in a lazy arc.  On closer observation, it was not a star at all.

******     *********      ***********       ***************       ******************

The punishment involved a rigorous one-sided sparring session with the King, who did not tolerate his son acting out of line and un-prince like.  Because Vegeta now had rudimentary thoughts, he could not call upon the ferociousness of ki that he had once displayed as a baby, he was at a serious disadvantage.  Even still with that initial training session fresh in his head, he had only just learned the technique, and it would take a bit of time to master it.   Although he was only 2 and a half years old, the young prince had a power level as high as any of the elite soldiers in his fathers army, but he did not have adequate control over his ki as yet, and as far as brute strength went, he was no match for his father at this stage.  

"It… it wasn't me it was Jeenie!!  She was doing it too!  Why don't you hit her too, why only me…??"  Vegeta wasn't crying, just extremely put out and on the shaky verge of a temper tantrum.

"Quiet boy!  Don't start that up again!  You must learn respect and not lie to your father and king!"  King Vegeta yelled through gritted teeth, "You only have yourself to blame, so take your punishment like a true warrior!"   He grabbed the small prince by the arm and threw him into a wall, knocking the breath out of him.  That move alone had the potential to be fatal to any other foe.  Young Vegeta crawled unsteadily to his feet.

"Father…" The eye on the side of his face that had crashed into the wall was shut.  Through the other pain-glazed eye, the son could make out the image of the father, so staunch and invincible it seemed.  One day he was going to be like that.  

"And where is your little friend now?  If I was them I would be laughing at how pathetic you are.  Is that what they're doing?" The king folded his arms and scowled at his spawn.  

"N-n-no… Jeenie is over there; sitting, watching.  She knows."  For some reason, the young prince took comfort with those words, they put him at ease, although he had a feeling he would be punished further for his insolence.

"She… knows… NOTHING!!!" King Vegeta's words tore the surrounding air into shreds with his acidic tone, "because she IS nothing!  You hear me???  Get your stinking little head out of the clouds!  You are Vegeta, the son of Vegeta – a warrior, NOT a dreamer, you understand?"  The giant monarch unfolded his arms and stalked towards Vegeta with a purposefully slow menacing gait, ready to make the brat pay for his nonsensical backchat.  The boy made no move to retreat.  Instead he stared at the hard, cold floor, studying the new hairline cracks it had received.  A sound came from him, at first impression it may have sounded like growling, but it grew, to a small, almost silent chuckle.  He spoke in a voice barely over a whisper, not lifting his head up to acknowledge the one who was nearly on him.

"She knows… knows that with each beating I take from you, I grow just that much stronger.  Sure, you know that already, its part of being Saiyajin right?  But you forget.  I'm no ordinary Saiyajin – she knows it, and I **feel** it. You just wait until I'm fully grown, **father**, then you'll have more on your hands than what you can deal with.  So come on, kick the crap out of me, do it!"  King Vegeta did not need a second invitation.  But instead of kicking the crap out of him as was requested, he strode over and picked his smart-mouthed brat up by the neck in one gloved fist, and held him at eye level.  His glare would have melted through the dangling lad and the wall behind him if his eyes had the ability to.  The scowl he expressed bordered on infra-red radiation, and he didn't speak as such, just mouthed the words as clipped and defined by staccato rushes of air forced from his royal lungs.

"Listen BOY, right now you are trying my already low tolerance, so might I suggest that if you want to live until that time when you are indeed full grown, then you will desist this behaviour immediately!"  He splayed his free palm almost in his sons face, and it began to glow.  "You have no idea how much I want to do this right now…"  Young Vegeta didn't look the slightest bit panicked.  

"You won't kill me, you're just saying that, otherwise you would have done it the last time, or the time before that, or even the one before that too.  You're nothing but a –"  All this talk made the King's eye twitch, and his teeth bare in annoyance.  The glow of ki got somewhat stronger too, surprising the prince.  He could feel its heat just begging to engulf his smooth skin.

"What?  You wouldn't!!  You can't!!!"  Young Vegeta was taken aback.  He wriggled around, his small white boots kicking the air while his father, wrapped up in a psychosis of some kind, laughed madly.  By this time I felt like intervening, in case the small boy decided to use what I had taught him about harnessing his ki, but there would be no way I could get his attention because he was too caught up in concentrating on removing himself from his fathers rough grip, and I thought it would be best if his new skill would be kept under wraps for now.  I had no idea how crucial it was that I had prevented my action, and after a few seconds I knew that was one of the best decisions I could have possibly made.  Both Vegeta's sported angry red faces, and the older one roared out in tones of doom.

"Wouldn't I?  Ah…. Just watch me!  This will be the final time you –"  His sentence was broken by a small, and very polite sounding cough.  

My head turned from the dramatic scene in front of me, to the source of the cough, and I froze, quite literally. 

"I really hate to interrupt this **tender** father-son moment, but I have some matters I wish to discuss, Vegeta."  In his surprise, the King loosened his grip on his struggling son, who fell to the floor like a stone.  

"Son.  Leave us, now.  Don't think you're let off so easily, though.  We shall resume where we left off, later."  Prince Vegeta turned his back on his father, and deliberately dawdled towards the huge doorway.

"Go!!  Now!!!  Are you deaf, boy?" The Saiyajin king fought to maintain his composure before the present company.

"But… I'm waiting for…"  I quickly let the young Vegeta know that I'd meet up with him soon.  That was something I do regret, for that was one of the last times we ever properly interacted. "…nothing."  And he briskly walked out of the room.

I stayed to witness the discussion, and something inside me said that I wouldn't like what I would hear.  Part of me wanted to leave and seek out Vegeta again, but I had to remain here, I was rooted to the spot.  I watched as the 3 foot tall Icejin strutted around the Saiyajin King, with his hands behind his back, tail swaying behind him, and his three-toed feet stepping deliberately, one foot carefully placed after another along the tiled floor.

"You know why I've come, Vegeta."  Frieza's silky polite voice sang.  "I don't need to expend the time explaining it all again, do I now?"

"We had an agreement, Lord Frieza.   My son begins his training with you at three years of age, no sooner!"

"I'm not well-known for honouring the words of a simple monkey."  The Icejin laughed casually. King Vegeta bristled internally at this direct and intentional insult, but he checked himself and didn't flinch in the slightest.  Just stood there solid and firm like a sombre statue in an icy whirlwind.   Frieza adjusted his mannerism to subtly manipulative.  

"He has potential, and my various sources inform me that he is a lively boy, but restless, wasting energy getting under your feet.  You want him to just stagnate here when he could be out enjoying the thrill of the fight like the rest of your soldiers?  Under my exclusive training regime, my officers can teach him things he wouldn't learn by staying on this planet, not to mention it will expand his horizons."  

"You can do all that in six months.  Until then, he stays put.  That is my final word Frieza, and I will not bend to your whims like you think I will.  I am not some rug you can walk all over!" 

"Aren't you?  I just bet that before that boy is three years old, he'll also be walking over you, and wiping his bloodstained boots.  You do realise why don't you?  Or do you fail to see what you cannot believe.  I saw it plain as day as soon as I walked into this room.   He does not fear his father, the all powerful King Vegeta." Sarcasm could be heard in his feminine voice.  "I was watching intently, and up until when I stepped in, he showed no sign of being afraid.  He's stronger than you, and—"

"NO!!" Roared the king of all Saiyajin.  

"Vegeta," Frieza's tone was measured in warning.  "I do not appreciate being cut off while I'm talking, although your hasty denial tells me a lot of things."

"I wasn't implying the boy isn't strong, just not as much as I, how could he be?  He's just an infant!  It's in his blood, sure, but his power will awaken when he's a lot older, not now."

"That's where you're wrong, as always.  Turning a blind eye to the painfully obvious.  Can you see now why I want him?"  He stopped pacing circles and turned to face the king, tilting his horned head up to regard him with narrowed pink eyes.  "And I ALWAYS get what I want." 

"Not this time you won't, not if I have anything to do with it."  
"You defy me, Vegeta?"  Frieza enquired curiously, with a light fake smile.  The king shrugged.

"Call it what you will.  I am not changing my mind."  Frieza levitated up to the stubborn king's level, and put on the sourest expression imaginable, although he wasn't as pissed off as he looked, because working like cogs inside his mind the alternate plan was going through its final stages of formation.  He coaxed King Vegeta out of his state of unease brought on by his expression, by smiling again, as if erasing all evidence of the conversation, mentally coercing Vegeta to forget all that had been said.

"Very well." Frieza sang cheerfully.  "I will wait.  See you in--" ** Hell. ** "- six months!"  With smugness painted all over his alien features like an extra layer of make-up and just as fake, he lowered himself back down to the floor, folded his arms and saw himself out, sauntering off to his awaiting mode of transport.

**Next Chapter:**  In the next chapter…

*Chibi Vegeta pipes up from nowhere*  I get kidnapped!

Schizophrenic Eggplant:  Hey, don't spoil it!!.. ooh, it's you!   How'd you get under my computer desk?

C.V:  I found a portal!  

S.E *eyes shining round as saucers* :  REALLY??? Where!!! Tell me!!!  
C.V:  Nope. *looks smug*  
S.E: Aww come on, please?  
C.V:  You know that doesn't always work with me.  
S.E:  Fine.  I won't be nice either.  Show me now, or.. or I'll dangle you by your little legs and flush your head in the toilet!  
C.V: Nyaahh!! *makes a face and pokes his tongue out*  Gotta catch me first!!!  *Dives back into portal and returns to 'Voices'*  
S.E:  Why you…  *Scrabbles under computer desk looking for the portal but only gets tangled up in cords.*  Uh… this is gonna take a while to escape…  I'll update when I get out of this spaghetti of cables!!! *Waves arm with miscellaneous cords draping from it* Ja ne!  An don't forget to review… ^_^


	19. Chapter 18: An Offer He Can't Refuse

**DISCLAIMER:  **All Your DBZ Are Belong to Us.   But not to me.  That's OK, I wouldn't want to deal with the responsibilities that come with owning such a great and popular anime.  I'm jus content writing for you lot, and fantasising about certain things in certain ways.  I wouldn't exchange that for anything.

**Author type stuff:  **Umm… not much to say… cept.. its getting there… as soon as I say that there is another twist and turn.  Rest assured that there is plenty more to follow, and no I'm not doing this deliberately to draw out the suspense…  no… would I do a thing like that? *innocent smile* ^Â^  ß doubtz this little angel will look like this with FFN formatting…  Oh yeah… an sorry for the short chapter…  If I were actually writing this as a book I wouldn't have finished it here… it just seems like a good place to.. it called out to me an said 'FINISH HERE!!!'  That jus means there is a couple other chaps to follow but I SWEAR!!!!  It'll be worth it…  To tell yous the truth, I don't plan this out much.. if a scene comes to mind and I think on it a lot.. an go hey this could work, I just stick it in there.  It's hardly random tho although it might seem like it.  It'll all make sense in the end.

And.. in case you lot had forgotten:  :: This is me talking to Obajeen in her head… ::    
                                                      ~ And this is her talking back!! ~ 

**Voices (In Ones Head)** by `InSaNe`/Schizophrenic Eggplant

**Part 3.  Chapter 18** – An Offer He Can't Refuse.

Instead of leaving the palace like he should have, Frieza abandoned his chair for the meantime, and crouching like a cat, took a vertical flying leap upwards, and came to sharp halt at a window on the upper reaches of the main spire.  His tail twitched while he made the final adjustments to now what he considered a flawless plan.  Positioning his white fist in front of the triple-glazed Perspex window, he brought it crushing down in a series of small polite knocks.  The occupant of the room looked up to the unveiled window and seeing who it was, backed away a few steps in mild shock.

*****     *********     *****

I made it to the doorway just in time to hear the knocks that echoed uncharacteristically for Perspex, and to see Vegeta reverse towards me shakily.  His back was to me so I couldn't see the expression on his face, but I could clearly see the predatory expression hidden with expert cleverness beneath the attempted friendly face of the pale solid yet ghostly figure hovering outside the window.  

~ What's THAT doing there??? ~

:: Getting what he wants, what else? ::

~ No… not what I think it is…  but why?  After all we've done he's just going to scoop him up while we do nothing about it?  I will not have my efforts wasted; right that's it, I'm going to over there and— wait a minute… why can't I move?  I mean physically, I cannot move my legs to walk!  Or my arms!  Shit I'm paralysed!!! ~ 

::  It's nothing to worry about really, it's only temporary…::

~ Oh you're so calm all of a sudden!  Why don't you try getting me to walk… the gravity must be affected or something… no, but Veg is still upright!! What the fuck is wrong!!?? ~  
::  Just relax.  Maybe that'll work. ::

~ Relax??  At a time like this??  Just how am I supposed to-- ~

"Don't run away, Vegeta.  Let me in, I won't hurt you, I just want to have a little chat." Frieza's high pitched voice was slightly muffled by the thick Perspex.  

Vegeta turned his head around, and saw me.  

"Jeenie!!  Freezy's here he's here!!!  What does he want, does he want me??"  He ran toward me in the doorway.

"Shh, Veg.  It's ok." I tried moving, and with tremendous effort managed a mammoth centimetre.  At the window, Frieza's false amiable nature began to waver.

"Let me in!  Do I have to break this pitiful barrier to gain entrance?"  White hands pushed up against the transparent pane.  A faint flame of greyish energy surrounded Frieza, and the Perspex began to strain, and cracks formed like it was eggshell breaking, not three layers of dense plastic.

"Open it Veg.  Either way he's going to get in."  Eyes never leaving the bone-white glowing figure at the window, Vegeta made his way cautiously to the button that operates the opening mechanism.  The window slid open with a mechanical hum.  Frieza didn't wait until it was opened fully to squeeze his midget sized body into the bedroom.  His red eyes darted over the surroundings, char-grilled from the princes earlier demonstration of how NOT to control ki.  He looked from the circular crater to Vegeta, fixing his deadly gaze on the stunned prince.

"Veg!" I whispered, at a volume only he could hear.   Saiyajin's hearing was much more acute than almost any other species.  He turned around to face me again, breaking the semi hypnotic eye-lock of the Icejin's.  "Do not fear him.  Something tells me he won't kill you. Don't let him see any weakness!!  He will exploit them otherwise.  Stand up to him." Vegeta nodded gravely in acknowledgement of my advice.  He straightened himself up to his full 2'1" height and strode towards Frieza with unfaltering steps, stopping just outside of his reach.  In his most serious tone he asked of the Icejin tyrant:

"What is it that you want, Freezy?"  Pale, black-nailed fingers touched lips in a small secret laugh, but once the digits were removed, the lips read only a shadow of a smile.

"Such impertinence, my dear boy." He snapped, barely retaining his air of cordiality.  You will address me as Lord Frieza from now on, if you know what's good for you.  And as for what I want?  I'm usually never so direct, but these circumstances call for no time to be wasted beating around the bush.  In short, it is You, who I want." 

"M-me…?" Vegeta trailed off, and seconds later it sunk in, and he realised the need to be strong.  "Me?  Why?"  Frieza gestured widely with his arm the chaotic disarray of the room.

"You caused this?  Not only this I believe, but there have been other incidents as well, haven't there?  Palace staff going missing, expensive repair and replacement of things throughout the castle.  Oh yes, word even has it that your mother—"  I hissed as Frieza dared trample down that path.  Luckily the prince's curiosity spilled over in time.

"How do you—?"  Frieza deliberately ignored his usual reaction to severely reprimand or even kill those who interrupted his speech, and instead cut through Vegeta's own, in what might be called a petty form of revenge.

"Know?  Let's just say I have eyes and ears that don't just restrict me to the confinements of my ship.  I have been studying you intently, little one, and I have a proposition for you."  

Vegeta raised one eyebrow quizzically, then lowered it again. "Go on." 

"I know you enough that you don't like it here much, do you?  Day in, day out, everything's the same old boring routine, only let out when there is a special occasion, and even then you just stand there.  I've even been told that you've gone to sleep when you think no one is looking!  Oh dear, I'm starting to think you won't like this idea at all."  Frieza never could resist mind games. 

"I have to know what it is to decide that."  

Frieza sighed in mock-defeat.  "Oh all right then, since you really want to know.  How would you like to get away from here?   Leave this all behind and branch out.  I can see into you, Vegeta." He semi-lied, using the information gleaned from his spies as some false psychic enhancer to get the small prince to believe him and give him few chances to oppose him on the issue.  "I've seen you practise kata by yourself, even some immaculate sparring form, almost like you had a real opponent."  

"I did…"  Vegeta started.  I mentally cringed.  The less Frieza knew about me the better, because once he knew, he'd probably want ME on the dissection table.  Fool.   

"Hmm?"  Frieza urged Vegeta to continue his sentence, wondering what it might be.  

"It did seem real didn't it?"  He covered up with no outward signs of panic.  I would have collapsed to the floor in relief, if I could budge.  Frieza, none the wiser, nodded in false agreement.  In his eyes, nothing was good except himself.

"Yes, yes, little warrior.  I see how you want to fight.  What if I said I can make that dream come true for you, and more.  How would you like to join my forces, you would train with the best, and once we have you up to speed and working at your full potential, whole planets will become your playground.   You can show everyone just how strong and powerful you will become, more and more beings will cower at the mention of m—  er… Your name.  You can choose your own modes of killing even.  Quick and painless, or slow and torturous (deadline pending if you pardon the pun).  Experiment!  Improvise! It's not like you'll run out of populations any time soon.  Oh my, look at your blank expression, I have rambled haven't I?  You're probably bored out of your skull."  Frieza turned away and walked slowly back to the window.  "I do apologise for wasting your time, I'll be going then.  My men will be awfully disappointed that the strongest by far of all mo—… Saiyajin will not be gracing them with his presence and provide them a proper challenge, because sufficed to say the calibre of our new recruits is not what it used to be.  I'll just go back to my ship then and—"

"Not without me."  

A triumphant smile crept upon Frieza's dark lips, invisible to those who were present because his back was turned.   He toned it down slightly lest he appear too eager.  Not while he had the young prince eating out of his hand.  "Are you sure?"  

Vegeta nodded. "I've made up my mind.  I'll go with you.  What have I got to lose?"  

Frieza positively beamed because his plan couldn't have gone any better.

:: He'll lose a lot more than he thinks. :: 

~ Such a foolish move, but Frieza had him right there, how could he refuse?  Maybe he'll learn something from him, I don't know I'm in two minds about it. ~  
:: Make that four minds.  I'm weighing up pros and cons, the pros outweigh the cons, but some of the cons are pretty hefty. :: 

~ What's one of the pro's?  The only one I've got is that he will at least build up his strength to maybe pummel that slimy non-gendered lizard thing into a pinkish stain. ~ 

::  Pro – he survives what is to come.   Your one is valid also.  One of my cons is that in a few weeks from now, there is a chance that he will lose all free thought.  He'll just become like the others, bowing and scraping, and licking Frieza's poxy smelly tail. ::

~ I did not need to hear that. ~

::  I'm just illustrating a possible outcome.  What's one of your cons? ::

~ Con - by the time he sees Frieza for what he really is, he will not yet be strong enough to do anything about it but wait until he is.  That would be truly agonising.  ~ 

::  Hm… yes, I can't agree more.  But what are the chances of that happening? ::  

~ You're right.  Maybe that was a little overboard, but we have to consider all options. ~ 

:: And watch to see what happens.  As far as this goes, I don't think we have the power to intervene this time.  It's all up to him now.   One can't weave the fate of one chosen by destiny… ::

Those words froze whatever ichor flowed through my body.   Things definitely were never going to be the same.

"Frieza… sir,  can I take someone with me?" Again, the skin prickled on the back of my neck. Surely he wasn't meaning…

**Next Chapter:  **Who does Vegeta want to take with him?  Is it me?  
                        King Vegeta *pops head out of portal from one of the bass holes in my speaker*:  Or me, his dear old dad!  
                        S.E. *rolls eyes*:  Oh…purllleaaaseeee!!!    
                        King Veg *looks a tad confused*:  Did I say something wrong?  
                        Daikon *pops head out of other speaker hole*:  Or even me?  Oh, fancy seeing you here, Your Highness.  
                        K.V. *scowls*:  Daikon!!  What are you doing here?  I told you to get back to scrubbing those floors with one bristle of a toothbrush!  
                        S.E. *flicks both Daikon and King Vegeta's heads with her finger*:  Shouldn't you be more concerned about what's happening to the prince, hmm? 

                                 Oh yeah, and can you bring me back with you into the portal?  
                        Daikon *shows signs of extreme discomfort*:  Arrggh!!!  Nappa, what are you doing??  There isn't enough room in this speaker for both of us!  
                        Nappa *squishes head out next to Daikons*:  Quiet Daiky, I'm gonna answer the young ladies question.  *Turns to me with an intelligent(????) look*  
                                   It's a negative, Ms.  Eggplant.  It would disrupt the whole space-time continuum… thingy.  
                        S.E *quite shocked*:  Umm.. thank you… Nappa. *is stunned*  
                        Nappa:  You're quite welcome, ma'am.  So…  is it me who goes with Vegeta to uh… wherever he's going to go?  
                        S.E:  Hey, I don't want to spoil it for next time!  I'm not telling anyone who it is, I'm (insert sarcasm here) Terrrrrribly sorry to disappoint you, if that's what 

                                 you came here to find out.  
                        Daikon, Nappa and King Veg *complain in unison*  
                        S.E. *selects a VERY bassy Rotterdam Terror Corps (Hardcore Techno) track in winamp playlist and proceeds to drown out the complaints*  
                        D, N & K.V *all feel strange because of their current location… in the bass-hole of my speakers, and don't leave until the tracks finished… then with grins  
                        on their faces, they are sucked back into the 'Voices' dimension.*  
                        S.E. *attempts to dive into the bass-holes which are an inch long and a handspan wide………… and miserably fails*:  Owwie!!! My heeeaaaaadddd!! 


	20. Chapter 19: Flying the Coop

**DISCLAIMER:  **I don't own DBZ.  But I DO own Obajeen…  she's mine, no-one elses… hmm… actually she's a loose unit, but if I didn't exist she wouldn't either!!!! If you wish to embark on including her as a character in anything (even played down a little if you know what I mean…)  jus ask my permission – I rarely say no and I know someone who can vouch for that!  *winks seductively… kinda*  =~_^=

**Author note:**  I can feel it in the air tonight… O Kami…  two more chapters to go and THAT'S it.  This one, and one more… oh yeah… an Planet Vegeta's destruction makes 3 (and I've written that too and I'm so itching to post it!).  But I promise it will be climactic, and BIG.  And after that its plain sailing… I'll update once a week, twice a week if my reviews make double figures by the time I've uploaded the destruction chapter… so that's 1 more!!! Only 1 more I'm asking, come on that's not much compared to what some ask.  I don't care if it's a flame (which I will laugh at, or if it is a point worth arguing I may counter), or a positive review.  Just something!!!!!!!  Something to tell me that you pplz are alive and reading this!!!  *Gets off soapbox, covered in rotten vegetables*

**Voices (In Ones Head)**  by `InSaNe`/Schizophrenic Eggplant

**Part 3.  Chapter 19 **– Flying the Coop.  
  


Normally Frieza would have turned down such a request, but he had a fair idea who it would be, and that really they were no threat.  Once more he played the 'fear me because I'm a psychic telepathic genius (but it's really my hard working spies risking their useless lives for me)' card.

"You may bring Nappa with you, but no-one else.  My ship is almost full as it is!"  

Vegeta's jaw forgot itself and dropped in awe that Frieza knew so much about him.  He must be really interested in him, way more than his father ever was.    
"I am grateful to you, Lord Frieza."    
The Icejin's lips were tightly pursed to prevent mocking laughter from bursting forth.  Once he had that under control, he spoke his final piece.

"I will depart for my ship now, and I expect you there in no more than an hour.  It's not hard to miss, just look above you when you leave. It's bigger than any other star, and not hard to spot.  Until then."  With a flick of his fleshy pink tail, he vanished out the window and into the night sky.  With him gone, I miraculously regained my ability to move.  I stretched joints and muscles stiffened by lack of use for a period of time.

"Happy with yourself, Veg?" I think my sardonic manner was lost on him.  He was looking at the floor muttering 'damndamndamndamn!!!'  

"Having second thoughts, huh?" I asked, confident that was what was making him mutter.  He looked up at me, with 'Nope, you're wrong!' written all over his face, then went back to being sorry for himself.

"It's not that.  It's just… I don't know how to fly."  

I was confused, and felt a little overwhelmed by how fast everything was moving.  I literally didn't have time for this.

"By all means I would show you, but I fear you don't have the time, if you are going where you have chosen to go." I never meant to display any resentment that he wasn't going to stay, in some ways I was questioning my own existence according to him.  A pessimistic thought meandered through my brain like a taunting boa-constrictor, squeezing my brain until I physically felt twinges.  What if he totally abandoned me, what would happen then?  Would I have failed my mission completely?  Was this small pocket of time the entirety of the objective?  Lost in my own thoughts, I heard his response, but through the shit clogging up my head it didn't process straight away, delaying my reaction by a further 15 seconds.

"YOU WHAT????"    
 "You heard!"

"Only a bit.  Could you repeat that so I can make sure that you said what I just thought you said?"  With an impatient huff he said, "Oh all right.  I only asked if you could carry me to Frieza's ship.  That way it would look like I was flying.  No one else will even notice. "  
"ME??? Go there??"  I spluttered.

"Do you have anything against Frieza?"  He eyed me with suspicious amusement.

"Oh no, no… no I don't." Only the fact that he is a wannabe me, taking over my job and stuffing it up; and now his presence renders me in a state of temporary paralysis.  "It just seems like a very outrageous idea."

"But it'll work, yes?" 

I sighed.  I could have just said 'no', but the rash adventurous side of me told me it would be better than just staying here for the meantime.  I could do with a change of scenery.

"Fine, I'll do it."  I folded my arms, and didn't look impressed at all.  Vegeta decided to ignore my displeasure.

"Good!  Lets get Nappa now!"  He strode from his rooms, the second time this night he'd disobeyed that particular order.  Nappa's quarters were two blocks of corridors from his own – about a minute's sprint.  Vegeta nearly bashed the door down while knocking.  

"Nappa!!!  Open up at once!" Nothing answered but a loud rasping snore, which sounded like someone was killing a very large bear.  Vegeta kicked the door, and only managed a small indent.  Kicked it again and again, never giving up until  the bottom of it looked like it had been carved out by a small, frenzied pneumatic drill, and drowned out by yet a larger such drill that kept rattling away from inside the door.  Nappa was a very heavy sleeper.  Not wanting to waste any more time, Vegeta looked up at me expectantly, like I was to carry out some miraculous feat of strength like rip the door from its foundations.  I immediately thought of something better, and merely turned the door handle.  Sure enough, it clicked and I was able to slide it across with a shuffling hiss.  Vegeta rolled his eyes like he knew all the time, that I was meant to open the door.  Of course it would've been beyond him to admit that he couldn't open it because he was too short.  

Once inside, the prince bounded up to Nappa's bed, took a high flying leap and landed hard on the burly Saiyajin's solar plexus. 

"Wake up call!!!" He shouted, and got thrown off the bed as Nappa lurched forward in a convulsive shock, then fell back onto the mattress.

"..don't call me Nappy, DaikY.." He mumbled, then opened his eyes blearily to be faced with the small prince who had jumped on his chest again. "Oh.. um.. hi Vegeta, didn't see you there.  What's the big idea waking me up?  If this is another one of your pranks…"  

"We're gonna go on an adventure Nappa!  How about it?" 

"But Vegeta, I was having a really good dream and—  Ooooooh an adventure? Goody!"  Nappa leapt out of bed like a kid on the morning of his birthday, and completely starkers.  

:: Arrgh!!!  Give me nightmares!! ::

~ Is that in proportion? ~

:: Well, now I know it's not because of this LITTLE reason that Nappa's an elite, and I've heard tell that Daikon makes up in that department for what he lacks in Nappa's height and brute strength so.. ::

~ Just. Don't. Go. There.  I'm not stupid, I've been in your crappy 'reality' remember… Daikon's almost like us, isn't he? ~

:: Yes, but because this is my/our internal universe, he's just like the rest.  There may be others like him along our journey. ::

~ Ahh good, he's put some pants on – and the right way around this time – although that scrap of stretchy material shouldn't be legally termed 'pants'. ~ 

:: Yeah, I've always wondered how he got away with it, and now I know.  Spandex hot-pants really do emphasise things… no matter how big or **small **they are.  Raditz is quite the opposite… :: 

~ What's a Raditz? ~ 

:: Ah… Never mind… ::

"Hurry up Nappa!!  We've only got forty-five minutes!"  Vegeta paced the floor as Nappa struggled with his last boot, fabric straining as the gargantuan foot pushed itself in up to mid-calf.  He momentarily lost his balance and hopped around for a few seconds, holding either side of the boot with both hands.  The forearms of each were encased in braces or greaves of some description.  Golden shoulder-plates gleamed, as did the ones at his hip and guarding his groin.

:: Not that he needs it. ::

With the final addition of a blue-lensed scouter attached to his left ear, Nappa did indeed look the part of a brawny personal guard.  As long as he kept his mouth shut he definitely was an intimidating fellow.  And I emphasise:  as long as he kept his mouth shut.

"But Vegetaaaa, you haven't told me where we're going!"  Nappa almost pouted.

Vegeta tapped his nose in a mysterious fashion. "It's a secret.  You'll know soon enough." 

"Ooh, another secret?  You're full of them tonight, prince."  The left side of Vegeta's mouth tilted slightly upwards in a smirk of agreement.

"OK I'm ready!  Should I pack anything?" 

"No.  I'm sure there are supplies where we are going."   The window opened after Vegeta pressed the button, and he stood on the ledge, Nappa behind him.  It was a still night out, not even a gentle breeze greeted us when there was no barrier to keep it out.  Vegeta glanced over towards where I was standing, still on the ground.

"Ready?"

"I told you I was." Nappa replied, slightly befuddled, although that wasn't hard for him.

"I wasn't talking to you."  Smiling at Vegeta and shaking my head in a mock-scolding manner, I pushed past Nappa and stood on the ledge, leant down and wrapped my arms around the small child.

"Hey, did you feel that?  Something just nudged me!" 

Vegeta shrugged. "Probably the wind, or your imagination." 

Nappa shrugged also, in reply. "Yeah, probably…"  

I took to the skies, with my bundle of a 2 ½ year old Saiyajin prince, and Nappa flew behind us, to the right.  In five minutes we had blasted out of the thin upper atmosphere of Vegetasei, and because of the non-existent gravity, flying became a whole new game, instead of just using ki to propel us in a forward motion, I had to use it as a rudder, steering on a straight course.  Nappa, who mainly used a spacepod as transport rather than this method, looked like he was swimming at first, but soon got the hang of the technique. Vegeta looked like a natural; he used this time to display his exhibitionist streak with great aplomb, and as always, to the extreme.  

:: Hahaha! I don't believe he's doing 'Superman' poses! ::

~ Super… Man? ~

:: Yeah some guy in blue tights with his underwear on the outside… hmm… doesn't sound all that strange now I see it from this point of view.. but yeah… he flies just like Vegeta is now.  It's so cheesy! ::

~ I see… Well it can't be any worse than the way Nappa's flying.  Won't all the blood rush to his head like that? ~ 

::  I think that's where not having much place for blood to go would be an advantage.. ::

As if some ultimate universal denizen was thinking about him, Nappa's voice grated the thick silence of space.

"Hey Vegeta, I didn't know you could fly.  You're growing up real fast.  I couldn't fly until I was at least.." Nappa paused and looked at his fingers, flicked some up, pointed at them with other fingers, gave up, started again and finally became successful.  "Ten.  And that's early."

"Nappa, you wouldn't notice a flying insect if it flew up your nose and buzzed around in that empty skull of yours!  Of course I can fly, you just haven't taken the time to watch my progress, that's all."  Vegeta folded his arms in conclusion to his point, forgetting for a moment he was speeding along at a great pace with his arms in such a position.  It was truly a sight to behold, something I found a lot funnier than this 'Super Man' that my other self was so cracked up about.

"So, you can fly eh?  That's nothing special when you can do… this!"  So saying, Nappa pulled up and around in a perfect reverse somersault.  For all his lack of smarts, he was in his own element while flying.  He continued his demonstration with a series of twists, barrel rolls and dive-bombs.

"Sounds like a challenge?" I whispered to Vegeta.  His head moved against my chest plate in a nod, and he grunted a laugh of approval.

"Brace yourself then!  Cos its gonna be a bumpy ride!"  I was a veteran at space-flight, so I grinned at Nappa (although he couldn't see it), and peeled away from my current directional path…

:: Woah.. just like Top Gun!!  You won't believe I wanted to be a fighter pilot once… ::

~ Is this better than flying in one of those metal winged cylinders? ~

:: SHIT YES!!!   I only wish it was 25 – 30 years later though… ::   She didn't elaborate, and I had no idea what she was on about.  I held Vegeta tighter to me as we did figure 8's, going so fast it looked like some weird circular geometric patterns, the ki trail (which looked like it came from Vegeta) traced the intricate lines for seconds before fading.  While the last of the light dissipated, I sped upwards (well, forwards really because in space there is no real directions), spinning my body around using Vegeta as my axis, so it looked like he was doing the tiniest corkscrew as he powered forward, rapidly increasing the revolutions each time.  Because of the centrifugal forces, and to decrease drag, the princes little body was flattened against mine.

:: Again.  I soooooooo wish it was 30 years from now arrrrrrgh… ::  I vaguely picked up the gist of her stress, but I refrained to comment further, in case I was proven drastically incorrect.

When Nappa was only a dot that could be mistaken for space dust, I turned around in a sharp hairpin arc, and accelerated to a speed which jostled eyeballs in their sockets, and was usually hard to control because of the non-atmosphere.  I chuckled low in my throat as Nappa, watching our approach, came closer and closer then SHOOM!  We flew right through him.  It wasn't a trick of changing substance, or solid little Vegeta would have possibly been killed by the impact, Nappa too even.  It was a trick of speed, it was like one moment we were there, then  we were somewhere else while Vegeta AND Nappa both freaked out for the tiniest fraction of a second, then we continued at same speed past Nappa's rear, then stopped suddenly.  Vegeta's body went limp in my grasp, and he panted heavily from excitement.  After checking his midsection for any gaping gory holes and finding none, Nappa twisted his head around, his jaw almost breaking orbit from his head to float in the black star studded nothing.

"Where…did you learn… that?" He breathed in awe and in recovery from quite a bit of shock.  Vegeta looked up at his older comrade nonchalantly.

"Ah… something I picked up from a friend…"  He blew it off like it was nothing.  

"When you see your friend next time, get him to give me a free lesson!" 

"Her, Nappa… her."  Nappa's eyes went blank like they usually did when he didn't understand something.  He'd never seen Vegeta with any female company in his life.

"Oh." He mouthed softly, and scratched his head.   I nudged Vegeta impatiently, if he wanted to get where he was going within the time limit set, we should make tracks again.  He caught onto my hint.

"Don't worry Nappa.  Lets just keep going, we don't want to miss the fun!" Nappa's eyes lost part of their vacant look, and we went to resume our flight path.

"Hey!!! You two!!!!  What's the big idea???"   Both Vegeta and Nappa knew that voice, the latter rather than the former because he had spent his childhood with this particular person.  Vegeta tensed his body.

"Oh hells.  This is what we really need."

"Hello Daikon, are you coming to see the surprise too?" Nappa cluelessly asked his twin.  Daikon gave him a 'You WHAT?' look, and presumed Nappa had been drinking detergent again.

"Surprise??  The only surprise you'll be getting is the King Vegeta surprise fist to the head!   What do you think you're playing at?" He looked sternly at Vegeta.  "And you should know better, after what occurred before."

"Awww Daikon, your ruining the fun, again, like you always do." Nappa whined.  Vegeta felt a swelling in his chest, something was about to bubble to the surface, and adrenaline surged.  He wanted to test Nappa's fealty to him, although he already knew the gigantic man was a faithful lapdog, he just wanted to see how far he'd go.  He issued his first offensive order to his personal guard.

"Nappa, silence this pathetic 1st class."

"You want me to kill my brother?"

"Nah… just knock him out.  I suppose we'll have to take him along with us rather than have him go back to the palace and tell father of our little escape and…" He said louder so Daikon could hear what was being said, "suck up to him and lick his butt-crack like those girls that were in his room!"  The usually staunch, impenetrable Daikon visibly face-faulted, and hung limply in space, drifting slightly.  Nappa laughed loud and long.

"Ha ha ha!  You crack me up, prince!  I think you got him there."  

"Yes, I think I did.  Now do your job, like I asked." 

"Of course." 

The floating approach of his towering brother shook Daikon out of his temporary catatonic state, albeit a fraction too late to use his advantage of speed.  Once Nappa had him by the back of the neck in his ham fist, engaging pressure points, it was useless to struggle.  If it was a sparring match, he would have held off a bit, but this wasn't sparring it was a direct order from his prince.

"Come off it Nappa, there's really no need to—ooof!"  Daikon saw a lovely starburst which had nothing to do with space, as his twins other fist collided with his right temple, and then sunk into perpetual darkness.   Nappa slung the unconscious Saiyajin over his forearm like a towel, and yelled back to Vegeta.  

"One silenced 1st class reported, prince Vegeta.  Um.. what should I do with him?" 

Vegeta had already thought about this. "Bring him with us.  It's too late to take him back now."  Nappa nodded, and we powered up and resumed our course.  

- 15 minutes later… -

"Are we there yet?" A voice grated from behind us.

Vegeta breathed in deeply, then out, counting to twenty.  "That's the tenth time you've asked that… in the last fifteen minutes!!!"  
Nappa lowered his head, and mumbled "Sorry…"    
Vegeta left off abrading him for the moment.  "I'll tell you when we're nearly there!  Or…"  His vision strained as he made out a sphere of yellowish light twinkling in the distance, bigger than any star, "see for yourself."

**Next Chapter:**  Frieza's ship.  Frieza, Dodoria, Zarbon & Co…  and a tragic brainwashing.  
                        *listens for any signs another portal has opened up, but is only met by silence.*  
                        I guess they're busy, yeah.. busy psyching themselves up for Frieza no doubt…  *shudders uncontrollably*  I don't blame them. o_O'


	21. Chapter 20: To Err is Human ' and Not S...

**DISCLAIMER:  **Frieza sock-puppet:  SE doesn't own DBZ… I DO!!!  Muhahaha my empire is great and Saiyans are foolish and weak!  
                       Perfect Cell sock-puppet (popping up from nowhere):  Hey!  I'm part Saiyan!  
                       Frieza sock-puppet:  Yeah, that's your best-looking part, and you still ugly!  Here, use this.  *searches in bag for lipstick and mascara*  
                       Cell sock puppet:  Ha!!  I am perfect!  I have no need for such churlish things..  
                       Frieza sock-puppet:  You insult my makeup?  You shall die!!!!!!!  
                       Cell sock-puppet:  You're annoying and whiney.  I'm gonna absorb you.  So what if I'm perfect already, one more can't hurt!  *absorbs Frieza sock-puppet*  
                       Frieza sock-puppet:  Waaaaaa……aaa…aa  …  *is absorbed* o_O  
                       Cell sock-puppet:  Aah! Much bettarrrrrgh… cramps!!!!!!  *doubles over clutching stomach*  That's not gonna sit well…  now where's that mascara…

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**Author Note:  **There are probably going to be two chapters following this one before things go BOOM… I just have to tie up some loose ends… come on.. 2½ years in two chapters is gonna be a bit of a squish but I can do it… and you know yous want it!  To those who have stuck through this for all 20 chapters (yes even those not reviewing… I know you're there! :P ), thanks to the lot o' ya! ^_^    Sorry it takes me ages to update with work and stuff, plus this was a part I was stuck on…  I have about 19 other chapters I have already written… well, something like that, so updates will be more regular after I've conquered this little hill.  Stay tuned, and don't always ignore the voices in your head! 

****

****

**Voices (In Ones Head)**  by `InSaNe`/Schizophrenic Eggplant

**Part 3.  Chapter 20 **– To Err Is Human… and Not-So-Human!

"This is the surprise?" A disgruntled Nappa questioned.  "But it's Frieza's ship.  Everyone knows that, I was even posted here for a couple of months when they had a crew shortage."  The four Saiyajin – Nappa, Vegeta, the unconscious Daikon, and I, the invisible one, cruised up to a front entrance.   It appeared we hadn't come un-noticed.

"State your business." A crackly voice hummed into the earpiece of Nappa's scouter.  

"Uh…well, um you see, me and Vegeta…" The large Saiyajin groped for words, something which never came easy for him.

"Ah yes, Master Frieza informed us he would be receiving guests." The sentry's voice lost some of its mechanical coldness.  "Wait right there."  

Half a minute passed, and a flap slid up with a droning buzz, and stopped.  The door dropped down with a muffled clang after we entered the airlock, and air rushed in with a hiss to equal the pressure it was inside the ship.  A light flipped from red to green, giving us the ok to board the ship proper.  The sentry opened the valve, releasing the seal on the airlock, and swung open the heavy reinforced door.   Ahead of us was a corridor which went on for quite a distance and curved around, following the contour of the ship.  The sentry, a scrawny-ish four and a half foot tall purple creature with large bug-eyes, sporting an elongated skull adorned with yellow splotches, led us along this passageway.  Intermittently scattered along the outside wall of the ship in conforming order were more airlocks, and oval shaped portals like bubble glass.  I looked out one of the windows to see the red ball of the distant Vegetasei, crimson and yellow clouds streaking and boiling inside the atmosphere.  The suns' light played on the surface, making it glow brightly with defiant pride.  I turned from its angry beauty, and ascended a metal stairwell, following behind the party.  Three sets of footsteps clunked up the stairs, and on to another deck.  It was much like the first, in the way the corridor ran.  This level was slightly smaller because it was in the upper half of the ship.   The short alien sentry took us up to a set of double doors with an intercom, a number pad, and a retina scanning device.  He cleared his throat loudly before pressing the intercom buzzer.

"Yes?" A sharp voice intoned.

"Master Frieza, your guests have arrived."

The voice became a little more honeyed.  "I see…"  Then the razor was re-introduced.  "Well?  Bring them to me.  I don't have all day, you incompetent moron!"   The sentry stood there like an idiot.  He couldn't do anything until Frieza pressed the button to open the doors and grant them entrance, which they did, eventually, with a characteristic whirr of gears.

A sparse room lay before us, with a chair at the middle and at the far end, opposite to where we had entered.  The chair hovered, powered by its own engine, a couple of feet off the ground.  Presently it was faced away from us, the occupant staring out the massive bubble-dome viewing portal with evident boredom.  A pink appendage tipped with purple, dangled from the rim of the deep chair, and twitched every now and again.  Two men – well, one was easily classed as male, I had doubts about the other – stood either side of the chair like statues.  I hadn't come across these new lackeys before.  The greened skinned one was quite a stunning creation, from a race that is now non-existent, thanks to Frieza.  The other one, well, I must've had a very bad day for such a thing to walk, or waddle as the case may be, among the universe.   That was one ugly fruit.

::  Ah yes, Zarbon and Dodoria.  The latter is the butt of many a joke, in writing and amongst friends.  Zarbon?  He'd have to be my favourite non-Saiyajin, such a good fighter for a pretty-boy. ::

~ So you know them? ~ 

::  Not on an intimate level, but I am familiar with them, yes. ::

"Zarbon.  Dodoria.  Leave us."  His voice alone made my steps sluggish, like the firm tiles were an illusion and they were really quicksand.  The two minions bowed respectfully and marched past us, trying to look straight ahead, but they couldn't resist a small haughty glance and superior air at our small gathering.  Nappa, Vegeta and the semi-conscious groggy Daikon who now leant against his taller twin, even at a normal walk, were too fast for me.  

"Wha-  Is this a… dream?" Daikon painfully opened one eye and took in his surroundings.  They were somewhat familiar, for he had been in this very place at least twice, and the recollection was anything but pleasant.  All symptoms of being knocked out instantly were erased as his mind threw itself into overdrive.

"Nappa!  What are we doing here?  You know where we are?" 

Nappa looked down at his twin like he was stupid.

"'Course I know, Daikon!  This is Frieza's room.  We're on Frieza's ship.  Duh…"  Daikon, now he had his balance back and control over his body, stepped back from Nappa.

"Cabbage-brain!  Of course it's Frieza's ship.  WHY are we on Frieza's ship?  Last thing I remember, I… YOU!  I'll get you for pulling that dirty stunt.  Hmph.  Some brother…" Daikon brusquely turned from Nappa in disgust.  The larger man just shrugged.

"Ask Prince Vegeta, it was his surprise, and I was only following orders."

Daikon stared a virtual hole into the wall he faced.  "Hn.  I'll give YOU an order…"

Nappa bit at the unintentional bait.  "You can't, I outrank you, so there!"

His brother snorted arrogantly. "That won't stop me from causing you extreme physical pain."

"Why you… come on then!  Lets see ya turn those pretty words into actions, brain-boy!"

Red-faced and with a forked vein pulsating on a part of his head that wasn't covered by hair, Nappa lunged at his twin brother, who was just about to leap towards the ceiling.

"Nappa!  Daikon!  This isn't the right place, OR the right time!"  Vegeta hissed in warning.  

Nappa halted mid-lunge, and Daikon dropped his stance, and both mumbled apologies in unison.  

"Ve-Ge-Ta."  A cold voice pierced the sterile room, accenting all syllables of the princes name.  "Why do I hear three, and not two of you?  Did you dare take advantage of my lenience?"  Whisper-quiet clicks filled the air, as the hovering chair swivelled around to face the trio.

"Lord Frieza.  There were complications and…"  Vegeta gave Frieza a somewhat urgent look.  "A word…?"  The horned creature beckoned the Saiyajin prince to his side.  

"What's he saying Daikon?  Can you hear him?"  Daikon shook his head at Nappa's question.

"I don't know, it's like the soundwaves are being blocked out somehow, a force field?"  After a tense couple of minutes, Frieza sighed, and motioned Vegeta to go back with the others.  He didn't look happy, more frustrated, but he didn't take it out on the small prince.   Frieza's disposition was sour, but accepting.

"Very well.  But if I hear one thing out of line with you two dunderheads I won't hesitate to exterminate you!  Do-you-comprehend-what-I-am-saying?"  He spoke the last sentence slowly and deliberately, as an adult would to a child.  Nappa and Daikon saluted.

"Yes, Lord Frieza."  Frieza cleverly concealed his enjoyment of the monkeys' display of subservience.  He would never tire of such a novelty.

  "Kui." He spoke curtly to another sentry, a small, purple alien whose face and most likely whole body was segmented and covered in small pimple-like bumps.  He was in fact quite highly ranked:  Frieza's fourth in command no less.  "Take these two gentlemen to their quarters, you know, the ones reserved for 'special guests'.  My young friend and myself have a lot to talk about."  Kui acknowledged his masters specific order with a secret smile.

"Quarters?" Nappa half asked himself, then Vegeta.  "Prince, when are we gonna go home?"  Frieza, again not wanting to miss out on this opportunity, answered the question for the Saiyajin prince.

"Oh, didn't Vegeta inform you?  You are NEVER returning to that dustball!  Now you're here, you're here for good."  Nappa turned to Vegeta in disbelief, and Daikon, who was brought here unwillingly, glowered at the young boy.  The latter raised his hackles and advanced towards Vegeta, angered that they had been left with no choice.  Prince or no prince, Daikon felt this small brat had betrayed them in some way, and that had to be dealt with.  On second thoughts, perhaps he could postpone it, until when Frieza wasn't around.  The small demon's red eyes almost hypnotised him into about-facing and following Kui.  That was the best option, because he still wanted to live another minute.   

Frieza spoke into a small microphone in the arm of his chair.

"Frieza to bridge." A pause.  "Initiate manoeuvre A-330 to pre-programmed co-ordinate #77, Twelve-twelve!!  Frieza out!"  The microphone disappeared back into the arm of the chair, and the discordant being looked all too pleased with himself.

As Nappa and Daikon were being marched out of the room, a deep vibration was felt throughout the ship, as if something was stirring in its bowels.  In half a minute the engines were at revolutions too high to be noticed, and the growling had transgressed to a high pitched whine, which too, dispersed as the ship pulled itself out of orbit and blasted off towards an unknown destination at a startling velocity.

  
Once Frieza thought he had Vegeta all to himself, he removed the sound-shield that had allowed him to speak in private without Nappa, Daikon, and even myself hearing.  With two of the visible members of that party absent, he felt he could drop the formalities.

"Now, my princeling, our little arrangement.  A few words, and possibly some helpful advice.  I'm not normally this generous with my time, but you are a special case indeed."  Vegeta's eyes didn't leave the prickling red ones of the changeling in command.  "I will only mention these guidelines once and once only.  Consider yourself lucky, most of my men have to use guesswork.  From this day forward, you answer to no-one but me.  I am now your father, your mother, your big brother, your friend, and, in some circumstances, your enemy, but above all, your master.  It's not because I don't mean it this way, it is just how things are.  You are to obey commands issued from me, and your superior officers.  

"If I find orders are not met with, you will face disciplinary action.  I cannot show favouritism in that department, for certain reasons.  Because of your age, you will not officially be working for me until you are four and a half years old.  Until then you will spend your days training six days a week, with one day free – from physical training that is, and undertake a six-hour intensive mental training session, all of which are compulsory.  Your ki-level will be constantly monitored every month until your two-year training period is over, and the level achieved on completion will designate what rank you will be when you enter my forces.  I believe in you Vegeta, and I know you show great promise.  Do you have any questions?  You only have this one chance to ask."

The little prince looked thoughtful, absorbing all of what Frieza had to say.  He felt the tiniest twinge of reluctance of leaving his planet behind, but came to a mature, solid conclusion.  He would take the planet with him, inside.  He didn't need a home to have an identity, he would still be the Saiyajin no Ouji wherever he went, and be proud of that fact. He idly brushed his fringe away from his eyes with a small hand, before he answered.

"When do I start training then?"  He was answered by silence, and an intense glare that flashed a warning intermittently.  Vegeta raised an eyebrow.  Frieza raised a hand, and the young prince got the message before it struck. "…Lord Frieza."  Now was not a good time to push boundaries, and from what Vegeta was starting to sense, no time was.  Later though, may be another thing altogether.  His job now was to listen.  His infantile but intelligent mind sought to hold his tongue no matter how much he wanted to be naturally curious and occasionally blunt about things, the alien in front of him might take it as being flippant, and who knows what would be the outcome if it turned out like that.

"The ship's current time is 0138 hours.  All but those on night duty are most likely sleeping.  Well, they'd better be.  At 0430 the ship switches to day mode.  When the lights brighten, that is your queue to wake up.  There is a brief roll call before the morning meal, then it's straight into it.  It is a busy day.  At 2100 hours the day ends, there is a meal, another roll call and end-of day reports, if any, before the ship goes into sleep-mode at 2200 hours, by which time, all, and I mean ALL of the sub-elites are to be back in their rooms, no excuses."

Vegeta nodded, and suddenly realising he hadn't yet slept since last night, rubbed his eyes.  Frieza lowered the chair and placed one hand gently on his shoulder.

"It looks like you could do with a rest.  You'll need it… oh how you'll need it."  The cold hand removed itself to tap at the scouter.

"Dodoria.  I want you back here now, to show our little royal warrior his quarters.  Too bad!  Do I need to remind you who gives the orders around here?  Just for that, Dodoria, you can sprint here!  I don't care, maybe it would benefit you, losing a few pounds!  Good, see that you do.  Frieza out."   He turned to Vegeta.

"Dodoria will be here shortly, as one would hope, to lead you to your room.   Go wait for him outside, I wish to be alone now."  

Vegeta nodded, and started walking towards the door then stopped, right in front of me.  I began to sweat.

"You coming with?" He asked me, obviously not caring if Frieza was there or not, and he was too busy waiting for me to respond that he jumped at the acidic voice behind him.

"What part of 'Go' don't you understand, child?  It would really be a pity to give you a private lesson in comprehension so early in your career, so I advise that you don't dally, lest I change my mind!" 

I whispered very quietly to the startled prince that I would find him later, once he's settled in.  He raised an eyebrow in puzzlement, as if to question my absurd decision, but instead shrugged it off, and turned to bow to Frieza before leaving.  Frieza dismissed him with hasty flicks of a chalk-white hand, and he was left to his solitary mutterings, or so he believed.  His chair whirred with each length it floated along the far wall of the giant office, and clicked before it reached the end and turned about, part mechanically, part telekinetically.   Frieza's long, pink, muscular tail thudded the side of the chair in a random pattern of irritability, as he 'paced' to and fro.

I stayed quiet, observing, gauging, noting.

"…I have the advantage over this damned race of cursed monkeys.   Will they attack…?  Feh, I don't care they are no longer a threat, I hold the ace in this little game, I've won this round…  We'll see who's the better now once they can't locate me… can't hide forever though… stronger than them anyway, but why can't I get it out of their head… blasted monkey king and that stupid legend!  That's all it is, just words, but can they back it up?  No!  I can… so why is it still getting to me… gah!"  

And I thought he was already insane.  This proved to be the icing on the cake; how is it that sometimes he can be so calm and unemotional, but in all truth once there is no other presence to trigger his ire, when he's all by his lonesome, he's one broody alien – so unsure, but constantly re-assuring himself he's invincible.  Hn.  He thinks he can have the universe?  Not on such a shaky foundation of self-worth.

:: This is a side to Frieza I haven't seen.  It makes him look more pathetic. ::

~ Good.  I'd have to disown you if you said you felt sorry for him. ~ 

:: Um… heh.  Yeah.  *cough*  Makes for some good entertainment though… ::

~ Well, I'd rather not be here, but…~   To make my point clear I gritted my teeth, concentrated and managed to curl my little finger, and then to my dismay, found that I couldn't straighten it back out.  There was nothing I could do except listen to his ranting. 

"…why can't I be more like the rest of my family and simply not care?  Father laughed at me the first AND last time I voiced my slight concern, and Koola and Frigid mocked me relentlessly.  All I wanted was some advice, but no, I mustn't show weakness, ah… I do thank my family for teaching me that over the years… I'm not prone to snapping under the strain, I'm not!  All the other races I conquer and induct into my services are at least a bit more submissive and after a time accept the fact that I am lord and master of everything… monkeys were a fun challenge at first, wondered how long it would take for them to break, stubborn lot…I HAVE broken them, well… most of them… they're so weak on their own… group is another thing altogether… but I can handle it, there's nothing I can't cope with!  Hm, legend or not, I have the one most likely to attain that MYTHICAL status under my wing, and with time, he'll forget those words passed down from his primitive-minded sire… Super Saiyajin… "  Frieza wrinkled his nose and pursed his lips as he uttered the last two words, after which he spat the bile that had risen, into a small spittoon in his chair that disappeared at the touch of a button, to remove the liquid.

Was that fear I detected?  I thought it was.  Absently I wondered if I could use this newfound knowledge to work on a little side project…

:: You can try, but don't be too disappointed if it blows up in your face. ::

~ I didn't ask for your opinion, I was merely entertaining PRIVATE evil musings. ~ 

:: Nothing's private as long as I'm here, you know that.  Hey I've got an idea for your so-called 'side project'.  Wanna hear it? ::

~ Er… OK, why not… hey!!  What are you.. no!   Have you gone mad?? ~

"WooOOOoOOOO  I am the Legendary Super Saiyajin!!  Fear me Frieza!!!  Fear me!!!!  Muhahahahaha!!!!  You can't see me because I'm so fast!  I'm everywhere at once, I'm even hitting you and you're not noticing!  Your fighting skills pale in comparison to mine!!!   Kneel before your new master, you foul reptilian faecal sludge!!!" 

There was no change in reaction, no startled leap into a fighting stance, no screeching ancient yet young voice in brash, boastful defence.  Nothing.  She could have been in a soundproof room for all the impact she had created on Frieza.   If anything, I was relieved, and maybe slightly embarrassed, although for no direct reason.

~ You are SO not in my head… ~ -_-'

::  Ooo cool!  I made you sweatdrop! ::

~ And it won't be the last time I'll bet… ~

:: Well, you DID say you wanted to hear it… ::

~ How many times have I said, WARN me before you take over! ~

:: Aww, but then it's no fun! ::

~ It was a waste anyway, for some reason he didn't hear you. ~

::  Yes, most peculiar indeed!  We must be totally impervious to him, nothing we do or say-- ::

~ Or scream… ~ 

:: -- has no effect whatsoever.  Damn.  That's bad. ::

~ Why?  Were you thinking of holding conversation with him? ~ 

::  Eww no.  Just… I dunno… hey!  Are you eyes deceiving me or is he really – ::

~ Leaving.  Great!  We're out of here! ~ 

The chair passed us, painfully slowly. Frieza's eyes stared straight ahead, never venturing left nor right.   Once it had exited fully, and the pink lizard overlord was no longer in optical range, synapses came back to life and I was able to move again.  I stretched my tired muscles out quickly, all the while getting a lock on Vegeta's location, sensing his whereabouts.  He wasn't too far away, on a different level.  I left the room, looked down the corridors, delighted to notice that Frieza was nowhere in sight, then ran to where Vegeta would be.  On the way there, something I recalled from Frieza's mood, and mental stability got me thinking.

Maybe I had made a mistake in assuming that being in Frieza's forces would be good for Vegeta.

:: It's too late to change things now. ::

Much too late.

**NEXT CHAPTER:  ** Hmm, I don't really know… come on, gimme some ideas if you like…  It's going to be a little bit in the future, covering some of Vegeta's training – physical AND mental… which is a concept I haven't really come across that much, and I always enjoy a good brainwashing once in a while.

  
Chibi Vegeta *hiding under my scanner*:  What's a brainwashing?

Me:  Er… it's when… um… someone takes the brain out of someone's skull and cleans it cos it's all dirty and stuff…  
C. V:  Cool!!   Can I try it on you?

Me *sweatdrops*:  But… my brain isn't dirty!  Ask me again in a couple of decades!  
C. V:  OK!  *Pops back into the scanner*

Me *sits there and blinks for a bit…*: OH!!! It's one of those!  *Opens scanner and tries to find the portal.  Chibi Vegeta has disappeared.*  It's got to be somewhere!!  *Puts entire head in scanner and closes the lid, too involved in current task to hear footsteps on carpet behind her..*  
Mum:  What ARE you doing?  That's not what It's meant for, surely!?  
Me:  Oh.. ah.. Hi mum!  I was just… doing a really thorough dust-check!  Scanners shouldn't be dusty y'know!  He he heh…  
Mum *leaves, muttering about medication..*


	22. Chapter 21: Big Screen Entertainment

**DISCLAIMER:  **Dragonball Z is the Holy Grail which the great Akira "God" Toriyama holds in his outstretched palm.  For him to relinquish this ultimate sacred thing, one would have to answer three mysterious questions, which are a close secret to Him and only Him.  Dammit I must search for the answers until I am a skeleton in the desert… and even then I prolly won't possess the DBZ Grail. :/

**Authory notey bitty thing:**  It's been a looooooooooooooong time guyz!!  But I'm still sitting at my keyboard, typing away furiously, working on 1,000,001 things…  a bit o this, a bit o that… it saves time in the long run!!!  Not so in the world beyond my screen, it may look like I've got one hand up my nose and the other up my bum but its not so!!!  Well, 99.999% of the time.  Here it is, the long-awaited 21st chapter of Voices!

**Voices in Ones Head** by `InSaNe`/Schizophrenic Eggplant

**Part 3.  Chapter 21:  **Big Screen Entertainment

Four days have passed, without much incident.  Only that Nappa and Daikon are getting fed up with being in close confines to each other, their constant bickering alerting the wrong attention.  Today they've calmed down, because something has been done about getting them separate quarters, so they're out of each others breathing space permanently.  Brothers they may be, but those two just can't hit it off, always battling for dominance.  Word has it that they're going to put Daikon with Frieza's first class warriors, while Nappa continues the job he was appointed, as Vegeta's guardian, until he is at an age where he can fend for himself.  

There are a lot of races of Frieza's recruits who have everything against the Saiyajin, considering it was more than likely that the Saiyajin had cleared their planets before they, also acting as the recruitment squad, sought out natives with the strength and ki-requirement for Frieza's expanding army, taking them from their homes and families to a life they never dreamed of becoming a reality.  Vegeta was strong, but there were fully-grown aliens who were more experienced in battle, and would not hesitate to avenge their race by taking out the prince no less, who hadn't grown to his full potential.  That's where Nappa came in, and when he was around, everyone kept their distance.  The only time he wasn't shadowing Vegeta was when the prince was asleep, or the meditation part of the training, when the students had to be quiet.  To Daikon's disgust, Frieza had allowed Nappa to join the elites, only because the only time he could get time away from Vegeta to train was at night, and only the elite section of the ship was available at such late hours.  Luckily the ship had a 28-hour day cycle, so he could still get enough sleep after four hours of solid working out.

In his first few days, Vegeta had welcomed this new challenge with vigour.  He was the youngest in his training team, and not the strongest, but not the weakest either.  From start to finish of the day, for these few daily cycles, he, along with the rest of his group, were taught intricate kata by an experienced teacher who's purpose it was to train the new entrants.  Vegeta had a head-start, because I had taught him similar ones, although not as intensive and repetitive.  I actually had allowed him a break every now and again.  I watched with delight as he seemed to lose himself in what he was doing, totally immersing himself in each movement.  I sighed.  At least he was enjoying himself.  Like all Saiyajin (except the mutated ones), this is what he was born to do.

Today's lesson was nearing the warm-down/meditation session, which in a way lulled all the students into a calm that encouraged them to sleep, as well as help increase their ki.  No-one in the group had a power level above 1000, and that's what this intensive introductory course was meant to do.  The scouters had detected Vegeta's initial ki at just over 400.  He wasn't hiding it, but powering up to maximum was something he couldn't just call on as yet.  I knew better, having experienced a taste of that the week before.   Besides Frieza and myself, Nappa was the only other one on the ship who knew the truth, and he was for once using his brains to keep his mouth shut.

I watched the stubby short prince complete the final postures, at this time of night after many hours of doing the same thing over and over, his form was still fluid, balance unwavering, and his face calm and expressionless.  

Nappa leant against one of the walls and shifted from one foot to another impatiently, wanting the rest of the weaklings to finish and go to sleep so he could go and train himself.  He sighed with relief when in unison the group slowly brought their right feet to meet their left in a swishing sweeping noise, then they bowed to the teacher with their flattened left palms against a right fist.  It was nearly over.  As they began to sit on their mats cross-legged, to begin their two hours of deep meditation, Nappa stealthy stole away for some time alone, to train or go for drinks in the elite lounge, who knew?  He could hold his own there anyway, just.  I continued to watch Vegeta, as it was my purpose to.

The next day…

  
  


Soldiers and trainees of every differing race and height lined the huge meeting hall on the main deck, arrayed in order of rank, all standing stiffly at attention, like barely breathing statues.  Frieza glided down the rows of immaculate armoured figures, laughing at a comment Dodoria had made about pushing one end and watching them topple like shiny dominoes.  Frieza halted mid-cackle to find he had an echo somewhere.  The culprit was easy to identify, a smile wiped off a microsecond too late.

"You!" Frieza yapped, pointing at a smirking cadet while whizzing along in his chair.  "Yes, you!  What do you find so amusing?"  

There was no smile to be seen now, for accuser and the accused.

"Well, Master Frieza…" The cadet tried thinking up a viable excuse to save his skin.  "I find your laughter contagious."

Frieza's face re-lit up with a gentle, yet subtly malevolent smile.

"Contagious hmm?  Perhaps you need an antidote, everyone else seems to be immune." He turned to Zarbon and Dodoria.  "What would you recommend for a cure gentlemen?  I'm a 'doctor' of many talents." 

Dodoria gurgled, "A slow treatment, long-term suffering before the infection is… heh heh… terminated."

Zarbon held his chin with finger and thumb, his sharp golden eyes misted with thought for a few seconds.  "Something quick and painful, like joint manipulation, but with a more permanent result so the symptoms don't re-occur." 

"M-master Frieza… please!" The cadet, no older than nineteen, begged.  "I… I w-won't do it again, I promise!"  

"You're right about that, you won't be doing it again, EVER!"  The cadet's face became almost paler than Frieza's, at the tone of voice that he was using.

The powerful tyrant pondered the contrasting options from his men, and made his own decision.  "Very good.  Before I administer the prescribed dosage, I do think this is a case for…"  His two henchmen grinned in knowing, as Frieza produced a tiny slim remote control.  "The Big Screen." 

Those who had already experienced the Big Screen, hurriedly disguised their terror, and ignored the sweat trickling down their backs.

With a push of a button on the remote, a gigantic screen lowered itself from the ceiling, at a height so everyone in the hall could do nothing to avoid it. 

Frieza switched a camera on and fiddled with a directional control, and zoomed in on the doomed cadet.  He ordered those in the cadets row to shift a few metres in either direction, also the next four rows down, creating an open space in which to work.

"Give the order, Zarbon." Frieza crowed as he prepared the punishment.  The green smooth-skinned alien projected his deep clarion voice so none could be deaf to his words.

"Eyes to the screen, no blinking!  Any who turn away will suffer the same fate in quick succession!  Have I made myself clear?" 

"Yes, Commander Zarbon!" Came the rolling snapping reply from the thousands.

"You have their undivided attention, my Lord."  Zarbon purred.

Frieza grinned evilly. "Let us begin." 

The screen showed everything.  The raw terror in the eyes of the young cadet, then a second later clouded over in death as Frieza dealt his killing blast, then those same eyes boiled in their sockets as his body burned for all to see, and for those unfortunate enough to be standing close by, to smell.  Skin crackled, fat bubbled, viscera exploded in reeking belches of gas, teeth became stained red as the blood boiled, then evaporated.  Even bone was liquefied, and in less than a minute, the corpse melted and congealed into a sticky black mess on the floor in a smoking pile.  Before it had a chance to cool Frieza super-heated his blast, ashing it on contact, swirling the grey and white powder about the room.  No-one dared cough, no matter how much it irritated their airways. 

For a further hour and a half, the hall was silent, the only noises were the quiet dialogue between the section leaders relaying tallies of the present and those absent and accounted for in the rejuvenation tanks.  The mood was sombre as the ranks of trainees fell out.  I went to follow Vegeta as he left with the others in a sea of future warriors, and found that I couldn't.

Frieza was still in the hall, giving huge amounts of paperwork to Zarbon and Dodoria to distribute among the section leaders, specifically outlining each mission.  After half an hour, they were dismissed, leaving the hall empty.  I chose my time to leave also, once I could move again.

I had no idea where the trainees had gone to.  

:: Try locking onto Vegeta's ki sig. ::

~ I'm trying…  What?!? ~ 

I couldn't detect any sign of his ki.  That had me baffled, to say the least.  He could be anywhere, and it would take a long, long time to search the entirety of the ship.  I was blind.

*** ****

After six hours were up, wandering aimlessly around the huge ship, I felt a glimmer of a familiar signature returning.  It worried me a little, it seemed less guarded, not as vivid and alert as it usually was.  I followed its direction, heading to the eating gallery for the evening meal.  By the time I reached there, Vegeta was sitting down with his pile of Frieza-issue food, forking it into his mouth like a machine.  After he methodically cleared his plates, he stood up and headed towards his room, staring straight ahead, as if in a trance.   I noticed others with the same glazed expressions, and became suspicious.  Something was not right there, something was definitely off.  It made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

"Veg!"  I called out.  He did not break his step.  He must be using this time as an opportunity to train himself to ignore my presence, something he's had to do a lot because he's around others more.  Usually he gives me prior warning before doing so.

 I appeared a  couple of metres away from him, in his path.

"Veg?  Veg, what's going on?"  One foot followed the other, the pace unchanging, like a metronome, until he stopped in front of me.  He did not look up to my face, just paused, rapidly shook his head from one side to the next as if to clear it, stared straight ahead, then continued walking THROUGH me.  I was used to that already, but not from him, never from him.  

I was a little distraught.  I stood there as he marched a path along the corridor to his room, without looking back even once.  Very eerie.

Snapping myself out of it, I made my own way to his room.  Maybe he'll feel like talking later.

*************

A week later:

Whatever mood Vegeta was in a week ago, he might as well have not had been in it at all.  After a sleep, he was right as anything, and rearing to go right from lights-on, excited at the prospect of fighting something called a Saibaman at the end of the month.  After clipping on his armour, he took off for roll call, leaving me to catch up.  I didn't want to hurry there anyway, it was long and tedious enough.  Before I left I scoured the room with my eyes, taking in the tidy sparseness of the room, void of decoration.  The only difference was that this room was a little separated from the other trainees quarters, but from what I had seen it was identical to them.  It does seem Frieza wants Vegeta separate from the rest, whether for his safety or so he can keep him closely monitored.

By the time I bothered to turn up to the massive hall, I saw that there were two neat little ash piles on the floor already.  The act of peering around the door had foolishly cost me my movement once again.  Frozen at an awkward angle, I watched almost the same scene from last week; the rigid conformity of the lines of each section, Zarbon and Dodoria flanking Frieza as he meandered down the gleaming rows on his 'booster-chair'.    The aura I could feel from him made my stomach clench.  He was in a bad mood today, even for him.  Nappa was there, but it looked like he was keeping a low profile, which, for his height, wasn't an easy task.  Daikon was away, so that ruled out the prospect of yet another brotherly brawl to give Frieza an excuse to do away with them, for there was no doubt in my mind that Frieza would prefer a Saiyajin death at his hands to vent his wrath successfully.

I was hoping that he would disappear around a corner, but there were no corners in the huge room that could house a ship of its own.  My back was hurting like crazy and I had an itchy nose.  A tall soldier blocked him completely from my view, and I used this opportunity to scratch my nose and adjust my posture slightly.  The downside was that my hand still remained up by my nose once he re-emerged.

That was the only opportunity for the whole three hours, that I had to move.  I cursed myself for my stupidity, this was one thing I couldn't stuff up, because I wanted to know what made Vegeta and everyone else so strange.  Another weird thing was, that while Vegeta had seemingly recovered from his period of vacancy, some others were still in that state a few days afterwards, and even ones that had been somewhat pleasant during training sessions, showed a complete turnaround in behaviour.  This needed to be checked out urgently, and I was in no control, Frieza was dealt the better hand this time.

I gritted my teeth as the trainees were dismissed.  Vegeta even shot me a sideways glance on the way out, not daring to do or say anything else.  Twenty minutes later, everyone else had left save for the section leaders of the topmost ranks, who were left to talk amongst themselves while Frieza brought a shady looking character away from them, almost towards the door where I was standing.  I couldn't hear them clearly, not whole sentences but only snatches of words.  What worried me was who they were mentioning.

They were talking about Vegeta, and I don't think it was in a good way.

The alien with shifty yellow eyes in permanent slits whispered to Frieza in a voice that hissed.  I managed to pick up the end of the hushed conversation.

"Sssssection Sssix, ssseat forty-three, massster Friezssa…"  I heard the chilling snakelike tone.  Frieza smiled.

"Good, see that the settings are adjusted, try double the intensity.  I may get you to triple it if results are not satisfactory.  You have your orders Slisseth, that will be all."

Slisseth flicked his forked his tongue out at Frieza in a habitual, non-offensive way and bowed before making his way in a smooth gait, gliding half-through me as he passed the doorway.  I could feel his scales caressing my insides like cold fingers.  Every muscle cell ached to follow the creature, who, although bipedal, walked with a slithering effect.  I could do nothing, but watch as he left my fixed line of sight.  At least one good thing came of this:  those coordinates would narrow things down, and would come in handy once I found the exact location of this dodgy deed.

Another small inkling of progress had been made too.  From the moment Frieza had left (in the opposite direction, thankfully), I still could feel Vegeta's ki, and covered as much ground as I could before the bright little beacon vanished.  Finally, I was making some progress, slowly, but more than what I had to go on than last week.  

Silently I muttered a curse to the dark forces that be, for producing a three-way fork in the corridor just as Vegeta's ki faded.  It could be any of these.  

:: Close your eyes and turn around really fast a few times and take the one you end up facing once you open your eyes again. :: 

Why not?  It wouldn't do any harm.  I closed my eyes and twirled on the spot a few times, then opened my eyes.

"That way!"  I purposefully strode in my chosen direction.  The path was curved around, then went straight for a little while, then bent again, ending up at another intersection, one that looked just like the one before.   OK, it was the one before.  All the tunnels linked up, and they showed me nothing.  But I swore that that was where I last sensed Vegeta.

However, I stay there, in case something happens.  I didn't want to investigate another part of the ship if this in fact was the place I needed to be.

I had made my decision.  I would wait.

**Next Chapter:  **Maybe this undercover brainwashing scheme will be uncovered… Vegeta fights a Saibaman… and possibly more… yes, there is going to be a big huge time-jump I've decided!!!!  *watches readers go 'yeah, right!*  Hey!!! I mean it this time!!!!


	23. Chapter 22: Carnival of Chaos

**DISCLAIMER:   **After nearly a year and a half of not updating this epic, you'd think that I would have included a witty disclaimer…  Here it goes!!!

                        I don't own DBZ.

                        What did you expect?  Working as a lab technician has sapped what creativity I have left! *sobs* u_u

**Authory notey bitty thing:**  I could fill this section with all sorts of excuses… I've been working my arse off with study and jobs and all sorts of fun stuff like that… I lost interest in the story, gained it again, lost it again, worked on other stories, discovered more stuff about myself… on and on and on.  One thing I would like to get clear to all of you (Hello?  Are you there?)  Is that there is no way I'll ever give up on this story.  I can't!!  I've got another um… 20 or so chapters already written!! ^_^

:: Is me communicating with Obajeen ::  
~ Is her communicating to me ~

****

****

****

**Voices in Ones Head** by `InSaNe`/Schizophrenic Eggplant

**Part 3.  Chapter 22:  **Carnival of Chaos.

Approximately three weeks later:

"Someone get in there and clean up that mess!"   The sensei ordered the sanitation crew; unhappy he had lost another student to a suicidal Saibaman.  The now-dead pupil had succeeded in killing off both, having mastered defeating one a couple of weeks prior, but he had failed to stay alive.  The green, red-eyed, spindly creature had latched onto the unfortunate lad, and then separated the hemispheres of its bulbous head, exposing a blinding white light brighter than any magnesium flare that exploded on contact with the air, somewhat inefficiently vaporising itself, and the youth of about ten years old, on contact.  The cleanup crew discarded solid, crumbly chunks of armour and bones into plastic bags, mopped the blood and gore off the floor, used a squeegee on the walls and windows of the sparring chamber, and dusted up the parts that had combusted, mostly charred flakes of clothing, skin and melted hair.  

As the miscellany of gruesome refuse was wheeled out on a trolley, in the opaque rubbish bags, and covered buckets in front of the other students waiting their turn.  Every face turned pale as the trolley passed, the contents of the buckets sloshing with each jarred movement, and the bags nearly full with something that young imaginations (that were now only working in a minimal sense), would be haunted by, just by guessing the contents.   As this imagery registers in the now slowly functioning recesses of the subconscious, nearly every pair of knees knocked together.

All except one.

Vegeta, standing a few feet from the cluster of others, flicked his eyes up briefly as the trolley rolled by, observing the others reaction and snorted disdainfully at their openly weak displays.

He'd changed so much it was almost too painful to watch.

"Come on Vegeta, that front you put up still gives nothing away.  Did you even SEE what was in those buckets?"   One of his rank-mates didn't believe the young prince could be so casual.

He never used to be like this.  He used to have at least some interest in other things.  It's like what had remained of his childhood innocence was stripped away.

"I KNOW what's in those buckets.  When they were here last time, I stole a look, but there wasn't as many as there are now.  That's only because there's more mess."  He shrugged, and remained staring straight ahead as if in a trance.

He used to be reserved sometimes, but never, EVER this distant.  

"I've killed one Saibaman."  He stated to no one in particular.  "I can just as easily take on two."  

"We've ALL beaten one Saibaman, Vegeta.  That's why we're here.  No-ones beaten two yet, it's impossible."

"You'll die with that attitude, and I don't really care."  The other pupil was speechless.

He could be a morbid little kid, but not all the time.  Not like this.  What have they done?

"Prince Vegeta of the Saiyajin! You're up next!"  Sensei summoned from inside the room.  Vegeta smirked, and his little brows drew downwards in a cocky scowl.

"Been nice knowing you, Vegeta."  An older pupil muttered in contempt, secretly hoping that the young prince's confidence would be his downfall.  Vegeta swished his cape, held his head up high with his little nose in the air, and strode into the room on stubs of legs.

"Are you ready Vegeta?  This isn't as easy as the last time." Sensei warned him, taking his cape and armour, leaving only his jumpsuit.

"I was born ready."  Vegeta replied without hesitation, and his bright beady eyes took in every part of the room.  

Born ready?  Yes, maybe there was a bit of truth in that, him having blasted his way out of the womb and all, but with this?  'Brainwashed ready' would have been more accurate.

Sensei left the room, sealed the door, and watched through the window at the small boy's posture before he let the Saibamen in.  Vegeta was completely alert, looking around almost everywhere at once were that possible.  His fighting stance was nigh on perfect, and continuously moved rather than just standing in one spot.  With Saibamen, remaining stationary is a big no-no.  They like to run and jump and grab.  Sensei nodded with approval, before releasing the Saibamen with a press of a button.

The Saibamen, although short, were a lot taller than Vegeta, and their eyes were completely red, with a small black pupil.  They lunged insanely at him.  He dodged one, then the other, giving him some room to do what he planned.  Again they sprang towards him, and this time he was ready.  With a shout he released his ki, just like he did when I first showed him how.  That seemed like such a long time ago. Through his training, he's learnt to control it more efficiently, even the intensity, to a degree.  His power level has gone up as a result – 2500 since I last heard, but that is hush-hush material among the ranks, and still no-where near the 5000 that he reached all that time ago, although I think that secretly Vegeta wants to harness the ability to go there.  He'll be quite dangerous when he does. 

The two Saibamen were ripped apart on contact with the small but vicious yellow dome, pretty much like the first one two weeks ago, so I heard.  I wasn't there to see that… I was away, uncovering something I had been searching for, that I had finally found.

The young prince dusted his arms off with a gloved hand, and walked out of the room to the awaiting teacher. Wide-eyed, Sensei held out Vegeta's cape and armour, not quite sure if the display he just witnessed really happened or not, it was so quick.

Once fully dressed, Vegeta stepped out into the corridor where his classmates waited out their potential demise.

"You… you… beat them?"   A student spluttered in disbelief.  Vegeta paused regally and turned to address him.

"Of course.  You doubt my ability as a warrior?  I'd kill you for that now, but I'm confident the Saibamen will take adequate care of you."  He faced the rest of the class of recruits, most of which he'd known since he arrived on the ship.  "I'll be surprised if I see half of you at Mental tomorrow."  He stated coldly and briskly departed.

He wasn't wrong.  The numbers at mental training had rapidly diminished over the 27-hour period.  This time I followed Vegeta directly from roll call, never losing sight of him and the rest of the decidedly small bunch, about to observe not only the audio-visual-neural equipment, but also what they were like in action.

Vegeta sat himself in his allocated seat, number 43, in booth number six.  I had no idea where that creepy Slisseth fellow was; all I knew was that he controlled these devices.  There were two other students in this booth other than Vegeta, leaving five other seats free.  The other students who usually take up these seats were most likely dead, or in rejuv at least.  I sat down in the seat opposite my ward, and for a split second he hesitated as he put the headset on, then shook his head as if he was seeing things.  Then with a self-reassuring smile (no he wasn't hallucinating), he placed the headset on in a way so as not to disturb his hair.  The others promptly followed suit.

I could have put a headset on.  No one in here would see me, because they would be occupied.  But that didn't mean there would be eyes anywhere in the soundproof compartments; eyes that will spring to alert if they see a headset floating in mid-air.   I hoped the device in front of me was on.  By the way I observed Vegeta and the others jerk suddenly in their seats, and looking back at the blank device in front of me, I saw that my hope was futile.  I had to get closer, and that could only mean one thing.  I had to see it through their eyes, since they are the only ones with working equipment.  After readying myself, I slipped into the body of one of the others.  I couldn't hear their thoughts, but I felt their heart(s) beating through my body, and almost every other metabolic function.  I found it more than slightly off-putting, so I settled for leaning over the chair with my head overlapping with theirs.  There wasn't as much activity in their brain than what is in their body.   What I see before me shocks me to the core.

Graphic scenes of battle raged across the dual eye-screens.  There was a lot of blood, viscera, organs and bones.  Dismembered bodies littered the landscape of a dying planet.

"This is your life now."  A smooth, coaxing androgynous voice seduced.  "You love your life.  You had nothing before.  Now you have everything."

Eerie repetitive music played over the top.  There was something about both the audio and the visual that was immensely hypnotising.  Frieza's visage was seen floating above the scene, edited in.

"Frieza is your lord, your master, your God.  Obey Lord Frieza, obey… and you shall live this wonderful life."

Messages blinked sporadically during the show, covering the gruesome scene, taking the brain away from concentrating on it and latching on to these less harmful words.

OBEY.  FRIEZA.  KILL.  DESTROY.  ANNIHILATE.  FOR HIM.  LIVE.  FOR HIM.  DIE.  FOR HIM.

The killing scenes didn't stop, they only got worse.  Whoever constructed this form of media had obviously done their research, like a volunteer had gone into battle with a camera on their head, and filmed over two dozen of the most violent battles and purging missions ever, and occasionally Frieza appeared, his pale face smiling, laughing, looking benevolently out of the twin screens, into my own eyes, and into the eyes of the subject who it was meant for.  To me, those eyes were anything but friendly.  

For half an hour I watched this horrifying pantomime play out in front of me, until it looped.  I was certain that the student viewing this would probably not have noticed the subtle transition, back to the beginning.  I could feel a slight change in his brainwaves, shifting frequency, absorbing this forced information, and it would continue so for six whole hours.  Having had enough, I stepped back into reality, and held my head.  I now knew why these people were like zombies in the evening on the last day of the week.

Vegeta wasn't like a zombie though.  I dread to think what he would be going through.  Glancing over to him, I saw that his body was rigid, and sweat poured off his little face.  Frieza had mentioned to Slisseth about doubling the intensity – tripling it even.  Three times of what I had been witness to would fry anyone's brain. 

I knew I had to do it.  Going into Vegeta's body was different than the other student, partly because he was the reason why I am here.  I had no problem with his body's processes swirling around inside my own, although they were quite tense, and it didn't take me long to figure out why.

The music screeched at unbelievably high pitches and the words flickered faster than the one I had seen previously.

OBEY FRIEZA.  KILL, DESTROY, ANNIHILATE, FOR HIM.  LIVE FOR HIM.  DIE FOR HIM.  

The androgynous voice remained the same speed, the same deep, clear words.  It was beginning to feel impossible to resist.  I realised that was fighting it and it was almost too much to bear.  One loop of this was enough to not quite be hurtled into serving Frieza.  That would be a bad, bad move indeed, not just for me, but the entire universe.  The pictures of death and destruction were becoming implanted even more in my mind, because everything was happening at a different, subliminal level.  I swear I heard Vegeta's brain screaming as it took on all this information.  

I for one couldn't take it anymore.  I yanked out of the mesmerising grip, half way through the second loop of madness, and shook my head to remove the ingrained images.

:: It was like a Merry-Go-Round out of control. ::

~ A what-go-where? ~

:: A Merry-Go-Round, a Carousel.  Like this. ::

An image entered my head, as if someone was drawing it slowly.  There was a flat round disc, then stripy poles reached up and the whole thing was topped off by a decorative round ceiling that sloped downwards from the centre.  The roof was joined to the bottom with vertical supporting beams, with wrought iron filigree set into corners at the top of each beam.  Four-legged creatures with long graceful heads and necks, and flowing tails and manes were held up off the ground by poles that skewered them through the belly and out the back.  There were diagonal stripes on the poles, bumpy and ridged, so that hands could hold them.  The whole object was like a big wheel, and in the centre was a hub, the outside of it lined with mirrors.  Actually there were a lot of mirrors around the entire thing, but I'm sure it was a minor detail.  

~ What purpose does this serve? ~

:: You'll see. ::

It started to rotate slowly, while music began to play, a wheezing, churning melody, with deep huffs and higher squealing, forming itself into a tune.  It was hauntingly catchy, reflecting some form of childlike innocence mingled with the foreboding of rundown fairgrounds.  I still had no idea of what most of those words meant, my brain was still a bit of a mess after watching that brainwashing propaganda.   I could see a figure on one of the thick-necked, long-snouted quadrupeds on the merry-go-whatsit.  My sister can't get enough of playing around.  It increased its speed slightly, the creatures…

::Horses::

The horses bobbed up and down alternately like lazy pistons, by means of a camshaft for each pair.

:: OK, this is about normal speed.   It's enjoyable even.  In my world, these things have been around for over one hundred years.  Now, observe. ::

Gradually, the pace quickened, and so did the music, the complex wheezing becoming more frenzied.  The mechanics of this apparatus revved higher, creating a whine only just audible over the music.  This 'fun' ride was turning into a nightmare before my eyes.  And still it sped up.  What was the lowest pitch of the music before was now hurried squeals, accompanying the higher pitched screaming of the leading melody, which ran together in a time signature surpassing presto.  At this stage, centrifugal forces would have triumphed over even the strongest hands holding onto the poles, flinging them off the usually docile ride.

:: Despite everything, the whole system is still under control.  Picture this as Vegeta's brain if this treatment is continued, or to offer a more pessimistic perspective, if it is like this even now.  Time to throw a spanner in the works.  A spanner is only a small, usually harmless tool, just like certain words or actions are under normal circumstances.  Project the words "Hi, how's your day been?"  or a simple pat on the back onto a mind which represents this constant ticking time-bomb of instability. ::  

The image zoomed into the engine, which was a series of gears and belts, obviously not designed to run at such a frantic pace.  A loose screw became shaken from its housing, and detached, getting lost among the inner workings.  There was a graunching sound from within, as the screw got lodged in between some of the cogs in the gears, upsetting everything.  The engine struggled with the interference; the rubber belt becoming stretched taut while friction from the working cogs fought against the malfunctioning ones caused smoke to rise from the machinery.  A hose burst, spraying gouts of hot oil everywhere.  The stubborn belt finally gave way and flapped uselessly about, and a shower of sparks spewed forth from the ruined motor, igniting a fire in a puddle of oil that had formed on the ground.  Part of the engine seized while the rest kept running on a supernatural form of inertia.  The fire grew in intensity…

::  Zooming out now. ::

Outside, it was chaos.  Some of the horses had come off their poles because the turning cams that made them bob up and down had broken in the disruption.  Some were lying on the ground, still and lifeless, impaled by the poles and the others that remained half-intact were buffeted around, their resilience becoming weaker until they too were thrown off at frightening speeds. If anything was standing in their way they would have been crushed and killed.  Only a few steadfast horses stayed, whirling in a fog of smoke, their plastic eyes wide with wild fear, their nostrils flared, and mouths forever open, lips pulled back, moving hundreds of times faster than they would if they were real.  The fire had had its fill of the inside, and began to play on the manes of the horses, the flames becoming reflected fifty times over in just as many mirrors, flickering in a strobe effect.  The music crackled, slowed and ceased suddenly, but the whine was more pronounced and unhealthy, enhanced by the broken components.  It built up and built up, and reached a peak, and just as it did, the flames made their way to the power source, whether it be fuel or electrical, and the whole insane wreck exploded in a ball of flame.

~  I see what you mean.  Not a completely inaccurate analogy, although words would have done just the same as visual metaphors. ~

::  Yeah, I suppose so.  But it was just something that I had to explain in pictures, it works so well.  Besides I find it easier explaining things this way.  It's something I can't do in my world, telepathy not existing and all. ::

~ The message has got across to me anyway, and I understand.  It is not in our best interests for Vegeta to fly off the handle due to unnecessary stress placed on his young mind due to all this brainwashing nonsense? ~

:: Exactly.  ::

~ So, any ideas on what we can do to stop it? ~

::  Hells, I don't know!   I kinda thought you'd come up with an idea, now we're on the same wavelength and you don't think that brilliant example was a random waste of time.  You're the one with the powers aren't you? ::

~  I thought, that with the 'brilliant' show you put on just now, that you'd be a few steps ahead of me in that respect… But, I'm sure we'll come up with something.  I just need to think about it for a while.  ~

What I didn't reveal to her is that my 'while' can take up to a few months.  If things were different – if Vegeta could still see me and acknowledge me, it would be much easier.  Whether or not he'd listen to me would be another obstacle to attempt to hurdle over. 

To be thoroughly honest, I had no idea where to start.

**Next chapter:**  Since I haven't written it yet, I'm not too sure.  Obajeen will try to reach out to Vegeta…  will she succeed?


End file.
